


Someone to Stay

by Alina0



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Teachers, Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Angst, Cuddling & Snuggling, Drinking, Eventual Happy Ending, Family Dynamics, First Meetings, Fluff and Angst, Heavy topics, Light Angst, Lunyx as side ship, M/M, Major Illness, Mentions of Cancer, Not so slow though, Older Prompto Argentum/Noctis Lucis Caelum, Older!Prompto, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Post-Divorce, Sick Character, Single Parents, Slice of Life, Slow Burn, dad cor, happy ending yay, kinda but they're high school teachers, older!noctis, read the notes, single dad!noctis, younger!gladio, younger!ignis
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-30
Updated: 2020-08-21
Packaged: 2021-03-06 01:42:21
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 26,417
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25615303
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Alina0/pseuds/Alina0
Summary: Noctis is a teacher at Insomnia High and started working there because of his sick father. He's aware of his title and reputation in the high school and the way students nag and complain about Noctis being a strict and grumpy teacher who always wants to take exams. He doesn't care. Being a single dad in this cruel world is not an easy thing to do. Teaching and helping other kids help Noctis to overcome his horrible past and recover from the fact that his ex-wife, Lunafreya, cheated on him despite having a child.Life goes on until a new teacher named Prompto Leonis starts teaching at the same school. Every student suddenly falls in love with the new teacher and do whatever they're told. They keep telling him that the new teacher is a generous and charming man, never once complaining, forgetting about Noctis.He had promised that he would not fall in love anymore, or else his life will be ruined again. After all, he's not a person everyone falls in love with. But the more they spend time together, the more Noctis begins to change. Everybody realizes that he really isn't the same person he'd used to be, and he understands how much his life has changed since Prompto damn Leonis entered it.
Relationships: Gladiolus Amicitia/Ignis Scientia, Prompto Argentum/Noctis Lucis Caelum
Comments: 52
Kudos: 61





	1. Lost and Found

**Author's Note:**

> What? Alina is writing a multi-chaptered fic and actually finishes it?? XD
> 
> Anyway, a few things to mention before you continue!
> 
> I'm so damn thankful to [HardNoctLife](https://archiveofourown.org/users/HardNoctLife/pseuds/HardNoctLife/works) for helping me with editing some chapters of this fic! Since this story was written for the promptis big bang and I dropped out, we didn't get to work together for that long, but you're still the best! If you weren't there to inspire me, I wouldn't have written this fic :)
> 
> As you have read in the summaries, Noctis and Luna have a child and were together in the past. There is no mention of Luna/Noctis in this fic, and Luna is already engaged to Nyx. This fic is all Promptis focused. :)
> 
> The first couple of chapters isn't so Promptis. It's just Noctis living his regular life as a teacher and some Gladnis in the background. I promise It'll become more Promptis after chapter 3 haha.
> 
> Gladio and Ignis are high schoolers in this fic. They are Prompto and Noctis's students and are a cute side ship <3 (Prompto and Noctis are in their 30s)
> 
> Noctis's dad is sick. He has cancer. Please don't read if that bothers you, but I assure you there is no graphic explanation of his illness, and nobody dies in this fic (other than Noct's mom who is already gone). They will have the happy ending they deserve!
> 
> The title is inspired by the song 'Someone To Stay' by Vancouver Sleep Clinic, and I chose that because I personally think it perfectly matched the plot point and story:
> 
> "You were alone left out in the cold  
> Clinging to the ruin of your broken home  
> Too lost and hurting to carry your load  
> We all need someone to hold  
> You've been fighting the memory all on your own  
> Hear you falling and lonely, cry out  
> Will you fix me up? Will you show me hope?  
> The end of the day, I'm helpless  
> Can you keep me close? Can you love me most?"
> 
> Enjoy :)

_ “You said you loved me. But if you loved me, why did you leave me?” _

\---

He didn’t sign up for this. All he wanted was a quiet and peaceful day at home to sleep or somehow relax, not this.  _ Not working at the school on his day off with these annoying kids, dammit. _ Today was supposed to be one of the good days when Noctis would just sleep without having to worry about his homework and exam papers, but now here he was, doing a job that he wasn’t supposed to. He was never a kind person in his own classes, let alone in a class that wasn’t for him. Noctis was just paying for a teacher’s misbehavior.

He twirled a finger next to his temple and let out a harsh breath, trying to pay attention to everything but the students’ screaming. And of course, he was trying everything he could, exploring the internet, scrolling up and down through his phone, or maybe checking his unread emails. But then, there was another yell, and this time Noctis groaned at his headache and rubbed his eyes. 

_ Mornings. Damn mornings, _ he thought, and then he pushed his chair back and slammed his fists against the worn-out table to hush the kids. Noctis knew that he might be a little harsh or strict toward the students. It wasn’t like people could control their mouth and tone to prevent the teachers from overhearing their conversations.

Noctis was well aware of his reputation and pet names here that students had chosen for him, obviously. Some were funny, appealing, and well, some were  _ unbelievably inappropriate.  _ Sure, some students had tried to act nice and persuade him by giving him a nickname such as ‘Dark and handsome,’ or ‘Starry eyes’ and ‘Prince.’  _ Noctis didn’t mind those. _ But those weren’t the only ones. He has also seen some rude and raunchier ones like ‘Bed and nipple head,’ or even ‘TILF’ that was… rather embarrassing.

And of course, the stupid and dumb person Noctis was, he asked what did that word mean in the teachers’ lounge quite loudly, and since then, everyone tried to tease him for that. He tried his best to remove the graffiti of the word ‘TILF’ (which stood for teacher I’d like to fuck) from the wall with that inappropriate drawing of Noctis next to it. It was somewhat successful, but he didn’t want to go into details.

Some students flinched and sat back, Noctis nodded in approval and smiled at them, but the large majority of them proceeded to completely ignore him. He rolled his eyes and shut his phone off to go deal with them up close. 

“...be quiet,” he said, trying so hard to be more friendly and calm than the other times, but then, “I said, be quiet! What the hell is wrong with you? Gladio?!”

Gladio Amicitia, the senior sitting smugly in the back of the class, was the ringleader of the pack of troublemakers and the source of all Noctis’s headaches, shot up a glance at him and huffed. Next to him was Ignis Scientia with an exasperated look on his face, and lots of students surrounding them and making it obvious that a huge fight was going on. He still didn’t know why those two had so many problems and were constantly fighting since Ignis was Gladio’s accomplice and right-hand man.

A sudden hush fell over the class as he finished his sentence and stared at his troublesome student across the class who was flushed red with anger again. Noctis blew out a deep sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose in annoyance as Gladio returned to his seat. 

“I’m sorry, sir, wanted to show some kids to watch their mouths.”

“It’s not your responsibility to show other people how to behave, Gladiolus. It’s mine. I’m not here on my day off just for the hell of it, you know. I have a life too, what the hell? Because of some shi-”  _ Because of some shitty teachers who have decided to leave her job without any warning,  _ Noctis almost said that, but he quickly closes his mouth and steps back to take some deep breaths. “Six. Ignis? What did you do this time?”

“Sir, I didn’t-”

“ _ Sir, I swear I didn’t do anything, it was Gladio’s fault, _ ” Noctis impersonated in a childish voice and huffed, followed by a few snickers from across the class and Ignis’s sniff. “Last warning, folks. This is my last warning. I don’t want to hear any nags or complaints from you, or else I have to react in another way. Mr. Amicitia, no more conflicts, got it? If I saw you fighting with another student again, I’m calling your parents to the school.”

Ignis looked like he wanted to say something against that, but merely winced and gave Gladiolus a frosty look before sitting down. Noctis huffed. He stepped backward to return to his seat and wore an exhausted expression so that the kids would feel bad and stay quiet. 

“Yeah, I know nothing about art, so we aren’t going to learn anything today. Just stay quiet, okay? If you want to talk with each other, I don’t have to hear it.”

Some gentle whispers overcame the silence, but it didn’t bother Noctis that much, everything but screams and hullabaloo early at the crack of dawn. Every person at this school knew that he wasn’t the morning kind of guy and could get outraged if someone got on his nerves, but what else could he do. Despite teaching for almost seven years, he still couldn’t stand early mornings at all.

He started working as a teacher after his father’s engagement. Noctis’s dad was a retired teacher who had been working at the same school for nearly thirty years, so he received a good amount of respect, and they all admired Regis’s work at the school and facilities. 

He had no plan for life. Not even a dream to follow. Thus, he continued in his father’s path and was now quite successful in it. But it would have been a lot better if this school had an evening shift.

When his father was diagnosed with cancer and retired because of that, it felt like someone was trying to suffocate him repeatedly. It felt like he was hit by a train, and his world got destroyed. He tried to help and support his dad throughout the years, regardless of what happened or the future. It did work. Regis, god bless his soul, never stopped laughing or making those terrible dad jokes. He never gave up or stopped lecturing Noctis throughout his life’s difficulties. After all, they only had each other, and Noctis was going to do everything to save his father. 

Suddenly, the bell rang, pulling Noctis back down to Eos. Noctis observed the waves upon waves of students racing toward the door to leave the class, some in a great hurry and some looking bored and tired. He could relate to them; the classes in the morning were tiring, even Noctis couldn’t handle the pain of waking up at six am.

He waited a few minutes there to think about his day a little. Now everyone was outside in the halls or yard, but Noctis could see one of his students hiding in the corner. He already knew who it was; Ignis. He felt bad—not because he was alone in the class —Noctis felt guilty since he shouted at the boy and made fun of him in front of the whole class. He didn’t mean to yell, and his action was utterly wrong, but he was stressed and irritated. He knew that he shouldn’t have acted in anger.

“Ignis?”

It took a little longer for Ignis to respond, but then he slowly stood up and stepped closer, face flushed red and eyes shimmering with tears. And  _ oh _ , Noctis now felt bad, because damn if that look across Ignis’s face wasn’t heartbreaking. 

“I’m sorry, sir,” he said in a hushed tone, head lowered to avoid eye contact. “...for my inappropriate behavior. I shouldn’t have caused that argument.”

“Are you hiding something from me, Ignis?” Noctis blurted out and narrowed his eyes a little. Ignis leisurely lifted his head, shaking his head no as he gulped down the visible lump in his throat. “I’m good at reading people’s expressions. I’m your teacher, and I assure you, I’m trustworthy. Your every secret is safe here.”

Ignis looked up nervously and shook his head no, slowly, repeatedly, so that Noctis could clearly see his anxiety and doubt through his watering eyes. However, this time, Ignis replied more confidently with his head up. 

“Thank you, Mr. Caelum. But I don’t have anything to hide. Thank you for your concern. May I leave the class?” 

“You’re dismissed,” Noctis said with a sigh and threw up a hand as a sign of giving up. If the kids didn’t want to talk about their privacy and problems, well, he couldn’t force them, and of course, he had no right to get mad. Those first days when Noctis knew nothing about teaching and helping other students with their behavior and learning, he used to always force others to do things they didn’t want to, and now those memories... were quite embarrassing. 

After Ignis left the class, Noctis quickly glanced over the window to check the students’ condition in the yard, packed up his stuff, and leisurely headed over the teachers’ lounge for the recess. There were a few kids in the hallway who waved and wanted to flatter him in their way, and Noctis couldn’t blame them, they were good at acting to achieve what they wanted. Noctis had learned people only acted nice when they wanted something. With some years of practice and learning tricks, he also realized that some of the students were staring at him. He decided not to pay any attention and ignore them.

When Noctis reached the teachers’ room and entered the room, he threw all his stuff over his chair and ran a hand inside his hair to fix its position. Then, he let his eyes dart around only to see some teachers eating their delicious breakfast with a cup of tea and chatting with each other. He sighed heavily and carefully sat down to prepare for his next class.

“How was today, Noctis?” A familiar voice caught his attention, making him stop rubbing his already crimson eyes to turn his head toward it. He would recognize that voice and face anywhere.  _ How could he not? After all those years of pain and agony... _ “Am I disturbing you? You look quite exhausted. I am concerned about your health.”

“I’m great, Luna. Thank you for your concerns,” Noctis shot back in a sheepish tone and huffed. “My day would’ve been a lot better if that stupid teacher hadn’t decided to leave school because of emigration. Since all of you guys have classes and the only free teacher is me, I have to deal with some kids on my day off.”

Luna chuckled, taking a sip of his coffee as she sat back and gazed at him. “Actually, I heard that there is one person who is deciding about whether or not to join us at this school. I have to admit, he is already quite popular. I’m sure that he will be even more popular if he starts working here.”

Noctis hummed dryly. “Good. Because I can’t pay for someone’s misbehavior anymore.”

He spent another twenty minutes there, trying to focus and grade some papers in his free time while some of the teachers offered him breakfast. Noctis attempted to be more friendly and eat something despite being thoroughly exhausted and irritated by everything. He hated mornings, especially breakfast, when his mouth was dry, and nothing would go down his throat. Noctis usually just drank some milk with cookies and waited until hours later, until he felt better.

The bell rang, and the teachers slowly started to get up and leave the room. Noctis was the last one, as always, and first checked outside to see if any student would try to act cool and stay outside to test him further.

There was a small movement from the corner of the restroom like someone was trying to hide but failing miserably. Noctis saw it, though, how they ran inside. It was strange, but he wasn’t saying anything for now. With a deep sigh of regret, Noctis stepped backward and found his way toward his class.

Finally, he understood it, when Ignis tapped on the door and entered the classroom ten minutes later, face flushed red and sweaty, water running down his neck and limbs quivering in panic. 

Noctis still didn’t say anything, though, unlike the other times when students entered the classroom late. Usually, he was a stickler for the rules, but for Ignis, he would make this one exception so that they would be even. So, he decided to stay quiet for now.

\---

When Noctis’s classes finished and the final bell rang, he packed up his stuff and rushed out of the school even more quickly than the students. He checked his watch and heaved a loud sigh, sprinting toward his car to go home.

It took him twenty minutes to reach his district after over to buy lunch for his family, but he somehow managed to get that sandwich in five minutes and ran toward his apartment at the lightning speed. Might’ve just broken a world record or something.  _ Whatever. _ The food was already starting to get cold in the freezing weather, and it was also too late for him to be home.  _ I’m going to get lectured. Again. _

Parking his car, Noctis found his way inside the elevator and fixed his tie, attempting to look like a gentleman at least once in his life. Then, he was clearing his throat and cracking a sheepish smile to increase the effectiveness.  _ You got this, Noctis. Don’t forget breathing and counting to ten. You arrived in time, no need to worry for nothing. _

As Noctis exited the elevator and pulled out his key to open the door, he let out a sharp breath, kicked his shoes off with his feet, and flashed another smile. “I’m home. Dad? Aulea, sweetie?” he announced, closing the door behind him as gently as possible by the thought of his father sleeping. 

“Welcome home, son,” came his father’s voice from across the living room, and then the sight of him stepping forward with his wheelchair. 

Noctis sighed in relief and ran toward him, kneeling as he offered a big hug and a kiss upon his forehead. “How’s the best father in the world doing?” he asked, and then another kiss on his temple and nose, making his father tut in disapproval and pull away with a fake grimace and laugh. “I see Regis Caelum is a bit irritated today. What’s bothering you, dad? Has Aulea been naughty today?”

“Oh, you are not going to believe me if I say that she’s behaving way better than you. I remember you when you were her age.  _ Tsk Tsk. _ ” Regis replied in mock exasperation. Noctis faked a pout and backed away.  _ So my dad thinks my daughter behaves better than me, perfect. _

“I’m hurt, you know-”

“Dad!” Aulea cut in with her scream and hurriedly bolted over them to hug him as usual. “I missed you. I’m hungry. Why did you leave today? I thought we would play at the park today!”

He buried his face into her aromatic hair that smelled like shampoo and honey, putting kisses all over her head and face. “I’m sorry, sunshine. They wanted dad at work today. We will go to the park on the weekend,” he said, and then, after he remembered the stuff on the counter, “I bought a sandwich for us to make up for it. What’s your idea?”

“Thank you, dad!” She hopped up and ran to the kitchen in a second. “Look, I washed the dishes today, dad! I helped grandpa with the housework!”

Noctis chuckled and followed his daughter inside the kitchen to help her with the food. “That’s my little girl. You’re growing up so fast, sweetie,” he praised with a smile, bending a little down to delicately put another kiss on top of his forehead. “How was school today?”

“Not bad,” she replied, perhaps somewhat sarcastically judging by how she grimaced and then shrugged wryly. “My science teacher took an exam today. Dad, I was the only one who had no mistakes! I’m so happy that I passed!”

“Of course you’d pass. You’re my daughter, after all,” he joked, proudly and confidently, and stepped ahead to bring out some drinks alongside their dinner. Noctis could see his father reading an old and weary book from the corner of his eyes, and he couldn’t help but raise a sad smile at the sight.

He noticed that his father had been exhausted and moody for a while now. They used to go out for a walk in the park every Saturday, but now only Aulea came with him. Regis would always stay at home and do unnecessary things other than just enjoying life before it’s over.

Noctis knew he can’t let his dad die alone, with having no light or hope, in one of those cramped rooms of his apartment. When his mom died in an accident and left them alone, he promised to look after his father until the end, and he was not going to break that promise anytime soon.

“They still haven’t found a new teacher?” his father suddenly asked, hauling him out of his bitter thoughts in a violent way.

Noctis cleared his throat and looked up at him, a hint of tear shimmering in his red and puffy eyes from exhaustion or just...  _ sadness. _

“They say there’s someone who is interested. Undecided yet. I just want those asshats to leave me alone is that too much?”

He saw his dad pressing his lips into a hard line while Aulea tried hard to hold her chuckle. Noctis merely rolled his eyes. 

“Fine, I’ll watch my mouth in front of kids. But it’s not like she doesn’t already know everything, right, little missy?”

“Dad!” Aulea chuckled, a high pitched but delicate voice ringing in his ears. “Okay, sandwiches are ready! We’re coming!”

“Be careful.” Sighing, Regis slowly moved toward the tiny dining table with them. “Put the food on the table, son, be careful. Aulea made salads for us today, bring them too. Do not drop it.”

Noctis snorted as he handed the plates to his daughter and rushed to the kitchen. “Dad, I’m not a baby anymore, wanted to let you know.”

“It doesn’t matter. You will always remain a baby to me regardless of how beardy you might be. Stop nagging and bring the salad,” his dad said, and Noctis’s lips were set in a hard line so that he wouldn’t laugh at that comment. He could see his daughter snickering from the corner of his eyes, though, but decided not to talk about it anymore. 

Noctis nodded, slowly and hesitantly as Aulea said something that he didn’t quite understand. There was something here, something that he couldn’t recognize, but the way his father looked at him with a grin and laughed. God, Noctis wished he were able to continually keep him happy and healthy, but he couldn’t. Nobody could, or at least, not his father.

The truth hurt. There was nothing he could do about it instead of accepting it and trying his best, and that was what he was currently doing. Noctis, well, he wouldn’t give up this much easily, even if nobody believed that there might be hope. He once made a promise to protect his father and daughter at any cost, and nothing could make him forget that.


	2. Unfavourable Encounters

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, I may present a new chapter in which I was trying hard to write some cheesy and funny dialogue between Gladnis and miserably failed. Have fun reading this dorky chapter. Ayy, I'm excited! See how fast I managed to update this? It shows. This will get cuter with each chapter. 
> 
> Just for clarification, Regis does have an apartment. But he recently started living with his son because of his problems and such. He still comes and goes, though.

When they finished their dinner, Aulea and Noctis’s father started watching a movie on the television while he washed the dishes. Noctis joined them afterward and sat next to his daughter and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into his warm and welcoming embrace. Although Noctis wasn’t a fan of cartoons, he stayed there watching the whole hour without nagging.

Then, his dad suddenly told him that he had to go home and rest. Noctis suggested that he give his father a lift, but Regis informed him that one of his old friends would pick him up. Despite his suspicion, Noctis finally accepted after his father’s insistence.

Not very long after he delivered his father to the mysterious friend—that Noctis didn’t trust—he turned the television off and guided Aulea to her bedroom to read her a bedtime story. Even though she whined a little and said that she wasn’t sleepy, they finally made it in her room. 

Noctis read Aulea her favorite book. After making sure that she was completely asleep, he headed toward his bedroom, dressed in a pair of comfortable clothes, and collapsed on the bed to rest and repeat the same, tiring day tomorrow. He set his clock for six am and shifted to his side, grimacing slightly by the way his head ached painfully.

There was a small picture in a frame on the nightstand that Noctis admired for a while. A few years ago, he cut it in half because Luna was in it, as she no longer was in either Noctis’s or Aulea’s life. He remembered that day just like yesterday. It was when their daughter was four-years-old, and they went on a trip to Galdin Quay. _Four entire years ago._

He finally snapped his eyes shut and stopped overthinking. If Noctis was honest, he was glad that Luna was gone because the more they lived together, the more tormenting it was for all three of them. She loved someone else. And that was fine, but Noctis wished that Luna would have told him sooner so that they wouldn’t have made their poor child suffer. 

He drifted off to sleep two minutes later, alongside his disturbing thoughts, preparing for another exhausting day of absolute hell. Noctis was groaning a little too because recently his life had gotten a lot shittier than it already was, and sometimes he wondered, _could he and Aulea get through this? Were they strong enough and not give up fighting?_

When Noctis woke up that morning, or perhaps it was still night, he heard footsteps and sniffing outside of the room. He cracked an eye open to see if it was already six am or not, but the only thing he saw was total darkness. He wanted to go back to sleep, but then, thinking something might have happened to his daughter made Noctis jerk up in panic. 

“Aulea…?” he said in a calm voice in case she was still asleep. Maybe those noises were produced by their dumb neighbors.

Noctis stared at the ceiling with tired but wide eyes, rubbing them firmly to prevent himself from yawning. The movements outside had stopped, though, and it seemed like whoever was trying to torment him decided to stop being noisy. He blew out a deep sigh and slowly closed his eyes.

“Dad?” the little voice outside caught his attention, and he immediately sat up to answer Aulea. “...can I come in?”

Noctis flashed a wry smile and cleared his throat. “Of course you can. Come on,” he reassured warmly, scooting to the other side of the bed for her. Surprisingly enough, he wasn’t angry that she woke him up in the middle of the night, although he’d only get a few hours of sleep. He was quite happy that his daughter decided to visit his room.

_Weird._

The door opened with a small sound, Aulea entering the room with a grimace. With the small amount of light outside, Noctis could see her lips turning into a pout and that her skin was sweaty. 

“Can you hug me, dad?” she whispered, her voice shaking in panic and terror. “I had a… bad dream. I’m scared. I can’t sleep all alone.”

“Come over here, sweetie.” Noctis smiled, spreading his arms for his daughter to rest inside it. “My little girl had nightmares? What were you thinking about?”

“Nothing…” she said quietly and crawled on the bed beside Noctis. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders and put a soft kiss on her temple.

“Are you telling the truth?” Noctis asked despite knowing the real answer.

A short pause. Aulea hid beneath the comforter in a fetal position and pressed her head against his chest, and with a small and scared voice, she murmured, “I was thinking about grandpa…” she breathed out a sigh, and her eyes peeked out to look up at Noctis. “He’s so tired, dad. He doesn’t smile all the time anymore. I’m worried about him. Nothing is going to happen to him, right?”

That broke his heart. Knowing that his daughter cared for Regis so much to possibly have nightmares about his death or illness made Noctis even more concerned about the future. The fact that his grandpa and father were Aulea’s only family was harrowing, and Noctis didn’t want to imagine a single day without his dad’s presence.

He finally plastered a fake smile on his face and pulled his daughter closer. “Of course not, your grandpa is so strong and powerful. And do you know what he said to me? He said, ‘Aulea is such a kind, beautiful, cute, and generous girl, and she always takes care of me when dad is gone.’ I’m so proud of you. You know that?”

“Did grandpa say that?” she asked with a chuckle.

“Yeah.” _Even if he doesn’t say that, you should know that you mean a world to both of us,_ Noctis thought as he gave her more space and privacy. “Good? Are you warm, or should I bring another blanket for you?”

“I’m good, dad.” She smiled dreamily and blew him a kiss. “I love you.”

“I love you too, sunshine. Sweet dreams.”

“Night.”

It was cute how she had learned to say night instead of the full word. Normally Noctis wouldn’t speak informally in front of his daughter or other kids, so maybe one day, he would ask Aulea where she learned it from. She’d probably learned other incorrect phrases too, so it’d be pointless to correct her. The kid was always at school and communicating with others. Noctis didn’t mind that so much.

\---

The next day wasn’t any different from the last one. Noctis arrived late at school since he and Auleaboth overslept in each other’s arms and couldn’t bring themselves to leave the bed. At least Aulea ate something for breakfast. He barely drank his milk before rushing into the parking lot, dropping her off at the school, and sprinting to his own.

The good thing was that he still arrived five minutes before his classes, and teachers could leave the lounge somewhat later if necessary. Noctis threw his bag on the table and rubbed his burning eyes, yawning sleepily as he eyed the other teachers. Then, he quietly found his way over an empty chair and sat down without disturbing anyone’s conversation.

He took a little nap. Although it didn’t help him much and he didn’t consider five minutes a nap, it still helped him not look like he’d woken up from his grave. When Noctis opened his eyes and looked around, everybody was already gone, and no other sounds came from the yard.

Panicking, Noctis grabbed his phone and immediately bolted onto his feet to run over to his class, seizing his bag violently from the table and dashing out of the room. His mouth was still dry, and his eyes throbbed in exhaustion, but he somehow managed to keep them open and survive his first class. 

There was a small noise outside, more like someone rasping curses and panting. For a moment, Noctis turned back to check if somebody was hurt. But then, he was already too late for the class and would have to deal with the nagging kids and the headmaster, so it was better for him to just run and not look back even if somebody called him.

He had a severe headache and stomachache. It could be from waking up in the morning or not eating enough breakfast, but Noctis had no choice, and only wanted to do his job. He couldn’t be late or skip work without notice.

In the middle of the running, the noise came closer, and somehow Noctis ended up stumbling over an unknown object, followed by a strange burning all over his chest. He could feel his head throbbing even more, but after a short time of lying on the ground and panting, he finally cracked an eye open and met two pairs of tired, blue-violet eyes staring back at him. 

“Oh my god, are you okay?” the man whispered hoarsely, and his eyes grew impossibly wider. There was a tension in the space as Noctis released a groan and tried to stand, never breaking eye contact with the clumsy stranger. “I’m so sorry about that. I was in a hurry and didn’t see you coming-”

“Can I help you?” Noctis shot back with a hint of bitterness in his voice after observing the hot liquid running down his shirt. _Great, thanks. I really needed someone to spill coffee on me right before my class,_ he thought with a grimace. 

The man took a step back, cleared his throat, and flashed a slight smile at him. Noctis tossed an eyebrow up and checked the clock nervously. 

“Oh, I’m a new teacher here. Are you one of the students’ fathers? Do you need any help?”

Noctis barely managed to hold back his laughter. _Is that the teacher they were talking about?_ He thought with a tut of disapproval and slowly shook his head. 

“My name’s Noctis Caelum and I’m the science teacher around here.” Even though he tried to sound polite, mockery and sarcasm were still apparent in his voice.

“Oh crap, well, I’m sorry. You… honestly didn’t look like a teacher.” 

_Neither do you,_ Noctis almost said, but his words turned into a simple hum as the man picked his bag from the floor and handed it to him, raising a hand in greeting. 

“I’m Prompto, nice to meet you.”

“Yeah, _very_ nice to meet you too,” he said, hands brushing against the wet spot on his shoulder that kept spreading. “I have classes today, and then this happened…”

The man frowned. “I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to do that. Can I… dunno, make up for it?”

“I have to go,” he said instead, completely ignoring the man’s suggestion and climbing the stairs at lightning speed. When he reached the upper floor and dashed toward his class, there was a groan echoing in the hallway and a short ‘I’m sorry!’ that made him roll his eyes before entering the class.

As he’d expected, the class was a mess. Almost everyone was running around and yelling, and there were a few students next to the whiteboard writing something down. Maybe they’d thought that Noctis was absent today and wouldn’t come. 

When he entered the class, everybody ran toward their seats and stared at him with widening eyes, and it didn’t take Noctis long to realize what was happening. 

On the whiteboard, there was a big doodle of him—and the student who’d drawn that disastrous picture seemed quite professional—with a huge head and eyes, a deep frown on his head and beard all over his face. Noctis’s lips were a line, and his body was unbelievably small, and there was a note next to it that said ‘fuckable teacher.’

With a huff, Noctis rushed ahead to erase the humiliating drawing. He couldn’t even be angry. Those things happened almost daily, and after a while, everybody would get used to it. He didn’t understand why the students still giggled at the embarrassing doodle of him.

“Okay, the person who drew this has ten seconds to stand up and confess,” Noctis said, expression deadpan as seconds passed, and the only answer he got was silence and students’ nervous glances. “Nobody? Why am I not surprised?”

No response. The students exchanged a few nervous glances, but nobody opened their mouths to snitch on the others. Noctis let his eyes dart around and fanned himself, his gaze falling on the lonely and emotionless student in the back of the class next to Gladiolus. “Sure, everyone put a paper on your desks. We’re going to have an exam. Lessons five to eight, how’s that?”

All the students cried out. There was a wisp of a proud smile tugging at Ignis Scientia’s lips, and Noctis nodded in approval.

\---

“So today we were going to practice the play, right?” Noctis said as he stepped backward and folded his arms. The students nodded with a laugh, some nervous and others excited as they sat on the chairs in a circle. The only thing he didn’t hate about this school was the drama club that students encouraged him to supervise. Noctis was glad that for once, he listened to the kids. “Alright. Now two of your friends are going to play this scenario for today. Let’s see how they’ll do it.”

With that, some short whispers echoed in the room as Gladio and another student, Linda, stood up in front of each other and prepared for the act. The girl had a plastic and fake knife in her hands and looked impossible proud of herself, staring right into Gladio’s eyes while a smirk danced on her lips.

She cleared her throat and started. “Oh, Leonardo, what have you become? I no longer know that lover who promised to always stand by me. You don’t love me anymore. You left me with all that lies and betrayal and my broken heart. My one last wish is to plunge this knife inside your heart.” 

Noctis couldn’t help but chuckle. That was… some of the worst acting he’d seen in his entire life, and it seemed that the other students thought so too. She was just… so awful and emotionless, making the whole script cringy and awkward for everyone in the room. 

“Linda. What are you doing? Singing a song?” he mocked, rubbing his forehead in annoyance and blowing a deep sigh. “Come on. You have to be creative and put yourself inside the character’s shoes. Your act can be extemporal too. Try again.”

“Okay.” She smirked again, playing with her hair while placing the knife upon Gladio’s chest, who was trying his best not to laugh at her acting. “Oh, Leonardo, what have you become? I no longer know that lover who promised to always stand by me. You don’t love me anymore. You left me with all that lies and betrayal and my broken heart. My one last wish is to plunge this knife inside your heart.”

“Who are you for Leonardo to love, anyway?” Ignis finally said from the other side, making all of the students and himself burst into laughter. Even Noctis had to bite his tongue to stop himself from laughing at that awkward and terrible show but wasn’t entirely successful in holding it back either. Neither were other students, including Gladio.

“Sir! Say something to him! They’re distracting me!” she squealed. Ignis laughed even harder, slapping a hand over his mouth so that he wouldn’t be too disrespectful.

 _Finally,_ Noctis thought, impressed. _Thank god, now we know you are able to laugh._

With a satisfied nod and a grin, Noctis gestured at Gladio and cleared his throat. “Ignis, you laughed so much today. Let’s see what you can do.”

An overwhelming silence filled the room. The smile slipped from Ignis’s face, and the students lowered their voice to chuckle silently in sympathy. Gladio was thrilled though and had a broad, shit-eating grin on his face.

Ignis opened and closed his mouth a few times, but no words came out. After another minute of awkwardness and the two boys staring at each other, he finally said: “But sir, I know nothing about dramatization or theatre.” His voice was a whisper. Still, there was a particular weight behind it as if Gladio was his enemy. “I don’t even know the script.”

“Don’t nag; you have to be able to sight-read. Go on. We’re waiting.” 

Ignis hesitantly nodded, leaping onto his feet as he seized the script paper and knife from Linda, gulping. She rolled her eyes and scowled, clearly informing them that she was not happy with the decision.

“Leonardo, what kind of a creature are you?” Ignis started, his voice bitter with mock exasperation that made everyone laugh again. “Do you think I will let anybody—especially you—do everything they want to me and get away with it? Do you think my heart is a hostel for people to stay in it for a few days and then leave? I swear I will grab this knife and thrust it in the middle of your forehead if you-”

“I’ll explain. Let me talk,” Gladio cut in with a wink, much to everyone’s surprise and absolutely on purpose to annoy Ignis even more.

_Now this is going somewhere._

Ignis shot an angry look at him. “Do not stay quiet. Talk. Be quick,” he said rapidly, settling the knife right on Gladio’s forehead in irritation. Noctis was preparing himself, though, because if any of them continued acting that way, he was sure Ignis would definitely stab the larger boy with the fake knife. 

“Please don’t do this to me. I promise you are my one, and I love you so much that I’ll kneel here and…” Gladio begged, dropping onto his knees. “And ask you to be me with me, my sweet… Joe.”

“Sir, this wasn’t in the script!” Linda abruptly complained and stood up. She didn’t even try to hide the jealousy and exasperation in her voice as both Noctis and Gladio gave her an annoyed glance.

“We are getting into the character’s shoes. Shut up, will you?”

“Linda, they’re doing good,” Noctis reassured, eager to see what was about to happen. “Continue, kids.”

Ignis quickly examined the paper, obviously looking for the answer that he was supposed to give, he looked up at Noctis with a helpless and desperate expression, his brows knitting in distress. “Sir, Joe accepts that in the script. I don’t want to be a part of this act.”

Noctis rolled his eyes and stepped toward them. “Ugh, you two will work on this from now on, and this way your every problem will be solved too,” and then, after a short pause when nobody said a word, “Then it’s settled. No objections?”

“Sir—”

“No objections, Sir,” Gladio interrupted and winked at the smaller boy again. Ignis all but frowned, breathing out a sigh of annoyance. “Right, my sweet Joe?”

Ignis nodded, slowly, carefully. “No objections… for now.”

“Great.”


	3. Set One's Heart on Hope

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of all thank you all so much for your support! I appreciate all kudos/comments/support and am so grateful for all of them :3 
> 
> This fic doesn't have any trigger warnings. This chapter just includes some angry Luna XD
> 
> Finally, just letting you know that I'll update every day if the chapters are shorter than usual. Otherwise, every other day :)

The next day everything went better than he’d expected. Although the whole school was snickering and mocking him about the fact that he was covered in coffee yesterday—completely ignoring that his clothes were soaked with a brown liquid—somehow, Noctis managed to survive the day and run to his house.

He didn’t know why. Today he just felt… quite happy and hopeful, but still tired as hell. It didn’t matter though. Noctis woke up in a good mood and actually ate breakfast before 10 am, and even though other people might just laugh at him, he was really proud of himself for that achievement.

Then, it just suddenly happened, and Noctis couldn’t help it. Since he had free time and was waiting for his daughter to get dressed, he spent a whole 20 minutes in his wardrobe looking for some proper clothes. People already looked at him, practically stared with gaping mouths—so going to work in suitable clothing and looking like an actual gentleman would surely be a… memorable experience for him.

His face was brighter than the other days, and for the first time, he didn’t look like a person who hadn’t slept for months. The dark and puffy circles under Noctis’s eyes were lessened, and since he’d paid attention to his beard and hair, everything looked unbelievably good.

Noctis was wearing a dark gray v-neck shirt and black jeans, laughing at himself because he was supposed to look good today and failed miserably . He sucked at these things. Even Aulea could choose better clothing than him. His hair was tied back into a little ponytail, and he had his glasses on, the ones he tried to avoid because the black frames were somewhat thick and... big for his face.

Overall, he looked good. It looked like Noctis cared about his appearance, and knowing that he succeeded was a huge relief. He also knew that people would stare at him more often and intensely, but that wasn't Noctis’s problem. _Almost._ He’d only worn his glasses when necessary and tied his hair one or two times at school, so that would be something new and interesting to others.

 _That means possibly more nicknames and inappropriate drawings,_ Noctis thought with a sigh as he played with the keyboard of his laptop and stared at the empty document.

“Hey,” somebody called him, a familiar and somewhat nervous voice that made Noctis clear his throat and turn toward the person. It was the same man from yesterday, _the man that made all the kids in the school laugh at him because of something he didn't do himself._

Noctis watched the man as he leisurely sat on the chair next to him and smiled. He smiled back, and with a tone that wasn’t supposed to be that friendly, shot back, “Hey yourself.”

“Uh... are you the person I stumbled into yesterday?” the man asked, and Noctis couldn’t help but smirk a little. This whole conversation was _stupid_ and pointless, and there was no way someone would forget the teacher they spilled hot coffee on. The man had already apologized, and Noctis had tried to ignore him as much as he could. Why was he trying to communicate with him again? “I’m here to apologize... for being clumsy and not seeing you there.”

He pushed the chair back just enough to have a good amount of space between them, and started playing with the hem of his shirt. “Don’t you recognize the teacher you spilled coffee on? You know, the whole school was laughing at me yesterday.”

“You look... different... I’m so sorry.” The man lowered his head and stared at his knees. There was a meaningful expression in his face that made Noctis feel a little guilty about what he just said. Sometimes he would say things he shouldn’t have, and that fact was nothing new to him. Noctis couldn’t watch his mouth. He blurted everything out without giving himself time to think about it.

“I didn’t want to upset you, uh, Mr…” 

“Prompto,” the man, _Prompto,_ said quietly and pressed his fist to his cheek.

He cleared his throat, feeling a smile tugging at his lips when Prompto looked up at him with eyes loaded with nervousness. “Yeah, it’s okay, Mr. Prompto, no harm done,” Noctis whispered. After recalling the man’s other sentence, he grinned sheepishly and said, “...and what’s up with my look? Is it _that_ bad?”

“No! I didn’t mean that. Just... dunno, glasses fit you. Nevermind.” Prompto gulped, bowing his head once more to avoid his gaze. “Just call me Prompto, I’m not the formal type of guy. Do you mind if I call you Noctis…?”

There was a moment of silence. Prompto was looking up again, the bright light of sun beating upon his face making the details of his face show themselves more clearly and the dots of freckles standing out proudly. Noctis pressed his lips together, and although he didn’t mean to _stare_ and scare the poor man, he kept searching for more and more details.

Prompto had dark circles under his eyes, so puffy that they would make everyone think he’d been crying for a while. But most importantly, and what caught his attention for the first time was his short blond hair and the freckles all over his face. There was a small hint of goatee right on the man’s chin that made Noctis wonder for how long he’d been growing it. He looked like a grown man—most likely Noctis’s age—but had been trying to grow a beard for years and only managed a small amount of hair.

“You remember my name,” he mumbled under his breath, breaking the tension in the air and finally looking somewhere other than Prompto’s face.

The man let out a breathless laugh. He cleared his throat and sat back. “Well, yeah, I remember your name because I _hurt_ you…” 

“It’s okay. Look, I’m better today and washed the coat. You’re alright,” he reassured Prompto. “And... yeah. I’m fine with Noctis.”

“So.” Another pause. There was something sparkling in Prompto’s eyes, and Noctis could see him fidgeting a little again as if he wanted to tell him something very important but didn’t know how to start. The man cleared his throat, sniffed, and settled his gaze on Noctis’s eyes. “Maybe we could grab a coffee or drink? My treat, I want to make it up for you.”

“I am a little busy, actually—”

“It won’t take long, I promise. I’d really appreciate it if you help me not feel guilty anymore,” Prompto cut in instead with a face that even the cruelest person couldn't ever say no to. His lips were forming a small pout, and those freckled and pale cheeks were starting to flush bright beneath the sunlight.

Noctis’s heart broke. He couldn’t say no. No matter how hard he tried, no words came out as a disagreement. So instead, he just tried, “...sure.” He drew in a sharp breath as Prompto’s eyes lit up with hopefulness and joy. “After school?”

“Fine by me,” Prompto agreed with a wisp of a wry smile.

“Hmm,” he hummed in agreement, staring back at his laptop again. “Are you the newbie art teacher? People have been talking about you for a while.”

With that, Prompto exchanged a quick glance with him and snorted, head tilted to the side to show Noctis he was somewhat annoyed and amused by the question. “Heeey, I’m not a newbie. I have a _lot_ of experience; otherwise they wouldn’t have let me work at this school.”

“I’m glad that you’re finally here. The last week has been hell for me. I know nothing about art and stuff,” he said instead, changing the subject to avoid mocking the poor man once again.

“Good for you then,” Prompto responded with a warm and reassuring smile, bolting upright and patting him on the shoulders. Noctis winced at the warm and spontaneous contact, but certainly wasn’t complaining. The man was _friendly_ , and nothing was wrong with that. “That means more sleep for lazy and grumpy teachers, huh?”

“Excuse me?” He grimaced. His forehead puckered in apparent confusion and irritation. Noctis could swear this man— _the man he met yesterday_ —just repeated the same sentence written all over the school and restrooms and just... clearly mocked him. _What the hell,_ he thought, and then rasped, “What... what did you mean by that?”

“Oh, nothing,” the unsatisfying answer came more quickly than Noctis had expected and merely made him become more irritated. “See you in a few hours. Till later!”

“What?” He opened his mouth to ask, but Prompto was already gone and seemed to be in a hurry. Before Noctis could say anything else, he clutched at his throat and stared down, his voice going weak and unstable. “ _...what?_ ”

There was no sign of Prompto around for the next 30 minutes. He spent a long time wandering in the room with his laptop, and then wandering the empty hallways. Noctis hummed to himself as he strolled along the school, arms folded firmly against his stomach.

 _I wonder if Aulea is doing the same,_ he thought nervously, looking at the ceiling with a frown. _I wonder if she’s alone right now or enjoying her time with her friends._

Then, he heard footsteps, but didn’t bother to look back or follow the disturbing noises. It wasn’t the first time that the students stalked him in the school to take pictures of him or catch something unusual or… inappropriate. The funny thing was that all of them always failed, so it barely happened anymore. Noctis was more clever than that. The kids didn’t give him enough credit.

“Hello, Noctis.” The person—most likely a woman if he heard correctly—revealed herself, but it was quite disappointing for Noctis. He’d expected Prompto to come out of nowhere and explain what he meant by that sentence, but the new voice was remarkably familiar and that annoyed him.

He turned back, his eyes boring into Luna’s with a huff. “Can I help you?”

“You look good today.” She chuckled and stepped toward him. Her hands were locked into each other, and it was evident that she was trying to impress someone with her figure and height. _Noctis hoped that person wasn’t him, because that’d be so messed up._ “Are you... seeing someone? I’ve never seen you this happy in months.”

Although that was hilarious, and Noctis felt like he should laugh at that or something, he decided not to show any reaction and deepened his frown. _What the fuck is wrong with her? Does looking good and wearing glasses mean I’m dating someone?_ “What’s that got to do with my appearance? Don’t you have a husband to look after, Luna?”

She stiffened up, her face forming an alarmed expression as she cleared her throat and slipped Noctis a frosty look. “I want to see Aulea. I mean, for a few days. She can meet Nyx and—”

“No,” Noctis interrupted before Luna could finish her sentence. He could feel himself clenching his jaw and his heart starting to pound wildly against his chest, and then he snapped, “You can’t see her. Not now.”

Luna simply laughed at that. It wasn’t just a chuckle though. Noctis could hear and understand the absolute hatred, aversion, bitterness, and mockery beneath that expression and snicker. He didn’t want to separate the daughter and mother, nor cause any conflict, argument or misunderstanding between them. However, this case was different and just… confusing. Luna would end up hurting Aulea even worse than before, and he couldn’t let that happen.

“You understand that she is my child too, right? You can’t tell me whether or not I should spend time with my daughter.” 

“Don’t you dare, Luna,” he snapped again, anger blocking his sight and his face flushing with exasperation as Luna laughed at him again. “Do you remember those days? Where were you when my child got sick and had a fever? Where were you when she... when she was crying because of her heartache and panic attacks? Yeah, you were spending time with your boyfriend and didn’t care for my daughter. You’re not her mother.”

“You are out of your mind,” she said with an undertone as if a lot of people were around to eavesdrop.

It was Noctis’s turn to smirk, his lips curving up into a meaningful smile that meant nothing more than loathing. “No, I’m not. The court gave full custody to me, and I will take care of her. Aulea doesn’t want to see a person like you anyway,” he retorted and stepped backward to leave the place as soon as possible. “Now, excuse me.”

“You are a terrible father, Noctis. You failed. You can’t raise your daughter, and that’s obvious,” she nearly yelled as Noctis turned away to avoid continuing the conversation. 

“Luna, you can do or say anything you want, but never throw doubt on my parenting. I can’t tolerate that.”

_I’m not a bad father. I love my daughter and would give up my life just to make her happy._

_That’s bullshit._

Noctis gulped thickly, tears gathering at the corner of his eyes with the thoughts.

\---

“Mocha? For a fit person like you... that’s a little weird.” Prompto chuckled as he took a sip of his cappuccino and stared at the wooden table

They had gone to the nearby coffee shop—as promised—after school was over, and while Noctis knew he shouldn’t have left his family alone, he was actually enjoying his time. It was good to finally grab a coffee with a friend and have a good conversation. He honestly missed this a lot, although this man wasn’t his friend and they couldn’t talk about much.

Noctis cracked a wry smile and tasted his own drink experimentally. “Why? Because you’ll have to pay more?” he said with a proud and joyful tone, surprising himself with that childish voice that almost came out as a squeal.

“ ‘course not. Enjoy your meal, I guess,” Prompto replied quietly, tapping on the cup in a certain rhythm with a gesture of awkwardness that made Noctis wonder if he was _that_ boring. “I mean, this was practically my… dunno, duty? I wanted you to forget that accident.”

He smiled. “Well then, apology accepted. This is _really_ delicious.”

“Is it? I-I’m glad,” Prompto mumbled under his breath and clapped a hand on the table, looking concerned as he looked up at Noctis. “You look a bit... tired. Am I bothering you that much?” 

Noctis hesitantly shook his head no and sipped at his drink. “You’re not bothering me. It’s just the kids and all, they never listen to me,” he explained with a gentle voice so that Prompto would be more comfortable.

Then, Prompto broke into a bland smile like he’d recalled an important memory, and from the look of it and the fact that Noctis was talking about the annoying kids, it seemed that he had the right to be irritated by that smile and reaction. He released a long sigh and stared at the blond man.

“Oh yeah, it was my first day, but they’re so adorable and fun, aren’t they? I’ve never laughed this hard in my class.”

“Are you serious?” he asked. He laughed in disbelief and amusement as Prompto shifted a little and nodded. “You didn’t just call the students adorable and fun—the students of _that_ school.”

“Ooh, I see, tragic past? What did they do to you that you’re so mad?” Prompto was looking more interested, slowly drinking his own coffee while impatiently waiting for Noctis’s response.

“They’re kids. _High schoolers_ , I don’t expect anything better from them.”

“Right,” he whispered, staring down at the floor. He inhaled sharply as if he was preparing for the next sentence. “...so you told me that you’re busy and I’m disturbing you. I don’t... I don’t want to waste your time.”

_Just a little. I’m enjoying this though._

Noctis took a deep breath, and with a mere trace of a smile, he carefully explained, “I have a family. I already leave them alone most of the day.”

“Oh,” Prompto simply spoke with a nod of understanding, although he was still quite unsure and… _disappointed?_

“So, Prompto, yeah? Welcome to the school. I hope you spend some great months or _years_ here. Most of the kids are annoying, but you can find some kind people too. Just avoid unfriendly teachers and students,” he said with the lack of anything better to say, just to prevent their conversation from becoming awkward and boring again. Noctis was just putting the words together and saying bullshit, and Prompto wasn’t much better.

At least they had something to talk about.

“I’ll keep that in mind, thanks.”

 _Is he trying to avoid me or something?_ Noctis thought with a frown. _Whatever, it doesn’t matter anyway._ Prompto shifted again, and let his gaze fall over Noctis’s glasses with a shit-eating grin.

“Your glasses, I like them. I mean, _I like glasses._ Couldn’t make up my mind, so I decided to get a LASIK surgery.”

“I kept them because one of my relatives said that it’s cute, and I look good with them.” Noctis shrugged, and for a moment, he wanted to add a little ‘thank you, I appreciate your compliment’ or something, but avoided talking too much so that he wouldn’t look stupid.

That somehow made Prompto laugh, and he was trying so hard not to get annoyed or cringe. “You... you kept your glasses for a lifetime because someone said it’s cute?” he nearly squealed, and his voice was so childish and excited like he was treating a baby and not an adult. “I’m sorry, that’s so adorable. That person must be very important to you.”

Noctis smiled. His daughter was undoubtedly very important to him. He would dare to say Aulea was the most precious and important person in his entire life. “Mhm, that’s true.”

“I really did work up the courage to apologize. You seem... less friendly and open than the other staff, so it was hard for me to talk to you. Are you that busy?”

“Everyone’s busy, including me; I’m always working and grading stuff. The personalities aren’t the same. I can’t copy other people just to look more appealing. Sorry for that,” he said with a shrug, his mouth set in a hard line as he found himself lacking for any better words.

“No, it’s okay.” It was Prompto’s turn to shrug and force himself to smile. He could pretend that he didn’t understand that at all. “Apparently, the more you take exams, the busier you will be.”

Noctis stared down and grimaced. _He said that again._

He cleared his throat. “You... said something like that in the morning too. We barely know each other and…” he asked politely even though he was curious and quite offended by that. _Be calm, Noctis. Take a deep breath._ But he couldn’t. People were just… invading his privacy, and he couldn’t just sit back and watch them mocking him.

“They’re blabbermouths. I wonder what else they have told others,” Prompto answered before he could say anything else. Noctis let out a sigh of relief and nodded, slowly and unsurely.

“Enthusiasm is it. All of them were excited to meet a new teacher—a new friend to gossip with.”

It took Prompto a whole minute to proceed and find a proper reply, but then, “Aren’t you?”

“Not really,” he said without thinking, and the result of that spontaneous and shitty answer was Prompto lowering his head sadly with disappointment. Eyes widening, he all but laughed to show the other man that his response was only a joke. “Not that I don’t want to talk with you. I’m not really sociable, and I only enjoy spending time alone or with my family.”

“Huh,” he nodded. “Me too.”

They barely talked after that. It was already getting dark outside due to the heavy rain and foggy weather, and even though Noctis and Prompto only exchanged a few sentences like ‘the drinks are delicious’ and ‘I wonder if tomorrow will go okay or not.’ Nothing was better than drinking coffee on a rainy day and sitting next to a window with a friend. The time was going so fast that Noctis didn’t realize it was already evening, and he’d promised his father to be home very soon.

He pushed his chair back and grabbed his jacket, getting ready as fast he could to leave and run to his house. “It’s getting late. I really enjoyed spending time with you, but I gotta go home.”

“It’s okay! Go on, don’t be late. I have a meeting with someone anyway, so I won’t be staying long,” Prompto said with a smile.

“Okay. Again, I’m sorry for not looking around and making you spill your coffee on me.”

“It wasn’t you, It was me. This coffee was a gift for you to forget how we met, so hopefully, we can put the past aside and be kinder to each other in the future?”

Noctis snorted as he walked toward the door and waved at him. “That was straight out of a cliché romance novel, wasn’t it?” Prompto was looking at him, and whether he was sad or not, Noctis had no idea. There was something in his expression though, something that he couldn’t comprehend. It was strange that Prompto’s face was almost the same when happy or sad.

“See you tomorrow.”

_Completely ignoring my question? Wow._

“See you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Support would be dearly appreciated guys❤


	4. The Gloaming

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Somebody stop me from updating this fast...
> 
> Ahhh, I'm so overwhelmed by the amount of support this fic is getting... thank you all so much for you love <3
> 
> Education system in Eos is somewhat different, but I'll explain everything. It's just some little things that are barely noticeable :)
> 
> I apologize for any errors.

Noctis had never thought he would run into that guy twice in less than a week.

That night, when they all finished their dinner and were on the couch, bored, Aulea insisted on going to the park and having some fun together. Noctis and his father exchanged a glance and checked the time once again;  _ it was nine pm, dammit. Nobody goes to park in the middle of the night, _ he wanted to say, but the words turned into a frown as Aulea gave him the most heartbreaking and innocent pout she could ever manage.

Eventually, they had to accept Aulea’s wish. So they dressed up as quickly as they could and brought her to the small park at the end of the street for a short while. Noctis had no problem with going for a walk in the pleasant and chilly weather, but Regis looked a bit exhausted. As much as Noctis didn’t want to pressure his father and cause him even more stress, he knew that Regis also needed some fresh air, and watching his granddaughter being happy could help. And besides that, it felt like forever since he’d spent free time with Aulea. They all deserved it.

Now, Noctis was nearly flying to catch his daughter who was sprinting across the park and pushing Regis’s wheelchair at the same time. He’d warned Aulea not to get so far from them and to be careful, but talking to her was more like talking to a brick wall. Not only did she disobey her father’s request, but she ran even faster toward the playground and stuck her tongue out.

“Hey, don’t run, we’ll lose you,” Noctis warned with a chuckle as he finally caught Aulea, pulling her back closer to himself so that she wouldn’t run off. She blew out a loud huff and grumbled at their slow speed only to make Noctis hold her hands tightly and not let go. “You won’t leave grandpa alone here, will you?”

She opened her mouth, then slowly closed it as if she’d remembered something important. “No, dad. Never.” She plastered a smile on her face when they approached the playground, sitting on a bench with Regis next to them in his wheelchair, watching the kids playing carefully. It was a little surprising to Noctis, maybe because he and Aulea were used to sleeping so early and seeing children playing at night… it was still a shock.

Noctis raised a toothy grin at her as permission to join the others and play, and Aulea immediately bolted onto her feet to put a kiss on his cheek. “Good girl. If you wanted any help for the swing, just call me. Your grandfather and I will be sitting over here, okay?”

“Okay.” Her whole face brightened up at that, and she excitedly giggled while staring at the see-saw in front of them. Aulea’s face was flushed with joy, and although Noctis didn’t know what was going on inside his daughter’s mind, he nodded with an approving expression that caused her to sprint away and rejoice, “Let’s go make some friends!”

“Don’t run too far, Aulea. Make sure we can see you,” he said with a low and relaxed tone, but enough for Aulea to hear since she wasn’t so far away from them.

From the corner of his eyes, he could see his father rolling his eyes and tutting with disapproval. Mostly because Regis believed Noctis shouldn’t be worried about his daughter so much and let her have fun.  _ Don’t be so overprotective or she won’t learn, _ his father had scolded him.

Noctis wasn’t sure of that. He was nearly 31 years old, and he barely could take care of himself. Hell, he still hated vegetables as much as he did when he was a teenager. He was still that picky eater and ‘grumpy’ boy everyone used to joke about. And of course, Noctis loved sleeping and being messy just like before. Nothing had changed. He was the same he was back then, but just a little more attractive and experienced. god knew what he’d been through, and after all those years and having one beautiful and amazing child, he was a little better than his youth.

“She’s grown up, Noctis. I am so proud of you and my granddaughter,” Regis finally broke the heavy tension in the air with a hoarse whisper, stirring Noctis out of his thoughts.

Noctis couldn’t help but laugh and nod, because yes, he had to agree with his dad about that fact. Even though he didn’t want to be cocky and conceited, he was certain that he’d raised his daughter just right. Aulea was such a lovely girl with perfect manners, and sometimes she left Noctis wondering how he managed to raise a flawless child despite being so flawed himself.

He nodded while gazing at the dark sky above, feeling his father’s warm hands brushing against his own. “Yeah, I have to agree with you. She’s a big girl, and I love her so much. But…” Noctis had to bite his tongue before he blurted out something stupid. It wasn’t a very good time to be venting about things that didn’t matter anymore. They were in a park with his daughter having fun and playing on the playground, and he didn’t want to ruin the mood .

This time, Regis’s feeble hands moved higher until he was patting his son’s shoulder. “But? Are you fine, son? Is there anything you want to tell me?” Noctis whipped his head toward him only to shake his head ‘no’. It was a lie, and yet, the only thing that came out of his mouth was a long sigh of hopelessness. “I’m here for you two. You can trust and talk with me.”

“It’s okay. It’s just... it’s just Luna. She’s getting on my nerves lately. First following me to the school I work at and then saying bullshit about my parenting,” he admitted with a frown and found himself struggling to swallow the thick lump in his throat. Noctis’s eyes were watering, and he quickly attempted to hide those tears so that his father and other people wouldn’t think he was  _ this _ weak.

Regis sighed and gave his shoulder a supportive squeeze. “And apparently, you have fallen for her trap.”

“I don’t want to lose Aulea, dad. She’s my everything. I can’t live without her.” His throat was thickening with sobs. All those words and memories of the past, the comments of people telling him that he would never be a good father; they all felt like a knife to his scarred heart. He felt like no matter how hard he tried... nobody would see what he’d accomplished. “If she... if she decides to sue against me and try to take h—”

“Nobody is going to take your daughter away. Get a hold of yourself. She cheated on you and neglected your child. Nobody will give anyone or anything to her.”

Noctis took a shaky breath, his lips trembling out of control, and his voice low. “Well, that’s the issue. No matter what we do, she’s her mother. Aulea is our daughter and has the right to see her mom,” he mumbled under his breath and brought a hand to his face to wipe the tears off. “I don’t know. I don’t want to make her upset, and this shit is just getting harder.”

His father hesitantly nodded and cupped Noctis’s cheeks with a sad smile, catching his attention and making him look up at Regis with teary eyes. “You will make it through, I believe in you. I’m going to be here and watch you two succeed, and although I might not be here to support—”

“Dad…” he choked out and cut his dad off so that he wouldn’t hear those short but painfully heartbreaking words again. As much as Noctis hated hearing his father saying things about that and being hopeless, Regis just kept saying it like he had to memorize that particular line.

Right when Noctis opened his mouth to speak, he heard his daughter yelling something in the distance. He was immediately on his feet and running toward his daughter in case she was in danger and needed help. Regis was far slower than him but managed to follow Noctis next to the swings only to see Aulea hugging... a man.

She was hugging  _ him _ .

Noctis outright choked on his saliva when his gaze met the familiar pair of stormy blue eyes staring up at him. It felt like those eyes could embrace the wind and touch the cloud with their unique color, and the icy blueness of them generated an unknown feeling like he was being pulled into a lake of frozen emotions. He felt strange in that he wanted to bolt. It hadn’t even been a day since they saw each other, and he had run into Prompto once again.

“Mr. Leonis!” Aulea sang happily, pulling the other teacher into a more friendly embrace that made Noctis want the ground to open up and swallow him whole. Meeting Prompto like that and having him spill coffee on Noctis, and then having him pay for the coffee he drank in the afternoon.  _ god, the situation was more than embarrassing _ . “I missed you, Mr. Leonis! I missed you so much!”

_Missed him?_ He could swear his jaw almost touched the ground. Noctis and his father both were gaping at the man and Aulea hugging each other as if they had known each other their entire lives. Noctis’s frown deepened, and with a voice that came out as a squeak, he said, “Prompto?”

Prompto was the first one to pull away from the hug and stand up. He tried to fix his hair and clothing that were now ruined due to hugging a child and sitting on the ground, a warm smile tugging at his lips when he eyed them…  _ when he eyed Noctis’s family. _

“Noc... Mr. Caelum?” Prompto asked innocently and chuckled as Aulea held her father’s hands. “What are you doing here?”

“I should ask  _ you  _ that. What are you doing here, and why are you hugging my... daughter?” he shot back, amused, but certainly not upset or angry. Just a little bit shocked.

When Noctis looked at Prompto, he almost burst into laughter. His eyes were widening in surprise, and his freckles were showing themselves more clearly,  _ proudly.  _ Noctis found the whole scene and the blond’s expression hilarious.

Prompto gulped thickly and broke down into a delicate smile. “Wait a minute, is Aulea  _ your  _ daughter?!”

“Mr. Leonis was my art teacher in the second grade! He’s so kind and funny. I was so sad when we finished our final exams, and we had to say goodbye to him…” Aulea chimed in, giggling as she bounced on her toes and flushed bright red. For a minute, Noctis was wondering why in the world he’d never met Aulea’s teacher. But then, he was an art teacher, so that shouldn’t be too confusing. Art teachers in elementary schools were side teachers and usually wouldn’t attend the conferences.

_ Elementary teacher, huh, _ Noctis pondered with a smirk and nodded in understanding. He cleared his throat and pulled his daughter closer, putting a hand on her back. “...really? Were you my daughter’s teacher?” Noctis looked down. Without giving himself even a moment to think, he blurted out, “But why switch to highschool?”

“Yeah, she’s such a sweet and clever girl. Always had the best grade in my class, and I was so proud to talk about her,” Prompto said instead as he ignored Noctis’s other question, and then he grinned even more brightly from ear to ear that could make everyone laugh just from the dorky look of it. “Why didn’t you tell me Aulea was your child?”

“Well, I had no idea someone I met just yesterday taught my daughter for one year, so I decided not to share my private life with a stranger,” he said.

Prompto beamed at that, kneeling in front of Aulea to hold her hands. When his daughter looked at him to ask for his permission, he gave her a little nod and wondered,  _ what did Aulea do that his teacher cares for her so much? _ Noctis knew that she was a sweet and selfless girl, but making a teacher not forget her after years... she must’ve been extraordinary.

“World’s so small, you know,” Prompto whispered and looked up at him with a mere trace of a smile. “I missed her so much. I’ve never had such a kind and lovely and intelligent student like Aulea.”

Noctis wasn’t surprised. Throughout all these years, he had heard numerous praises from Aulea’s teachers for raising such a clever and suave little girl. He was justly proud of his daughter.

“Wow, you two know each other quite well, don’t you?” Amused, he laughed, and Aulea stepped forward to stand next to the other man. There was a small pause as they all awkwardly stared at each other to find the right words.

She finally elbowed Noctis’s waist to get his attention. She slowly pointed at the playground and all but pouted only to beg a second after, “Can I go play with Mr. Leonis, dad? Just a little bit. Please?” Aulea asked with a small voice that she used when she knew Noctis would get angry _. _ But the situation was different here. He’d already acted so gloomy and frustrated in front of Prompto before, and denying such a simple request wouldn’t make anything better.

He shifted uncomfortably and cleared his throat, hoping that she would understand the fact that she mustn’t persist in forcing a grown-up adult to play with her in the park. “Um, Aulea, it’s not right to... force Mr. Prompto. He has his own work and you shouldn’t just... ask a  _ teacher _ to play with you.”

“It’s been a while since I was here. This place reminds me of my childhood and teenage years,” Prompto reassured with a calm and gentle voice as he stood up that made Aulea hop up and down excitedly. “I don’t mind, really. If it’s okay with you.”

“Dad, please?”

“Okay, but just for a short time. We don’t want to disturb your teacher, okay?” 

She nodded. “Yes!” she sang and grabbed Prompto’s hands to drag him inside the playground. Noctis sighed, biting on his bottom lip and praying to the god that his daughter wouldn’t embarrass him in front of the man he barely knew. “Can we go on a slide, please? Then we can play with the monkey bars!”

“Sure! Let’s go,” he heard Prompto chuckle as they both joined the other children and ran around the playground to reach the swings. Noctis stood there frozen and dumbstruck for a minute, and then, he and his father exchanged a knowing glance with a grimace. He let his gaze wander over the kids and his daughter, watching Prompto following Aulea around.

_ So humiliating, _ Noctis decided as he strolled back to the bench and pushed his dad’s wheelchair ahead.  _ That’s why I never bring Aulea here. Oh man, come on Aulea, don’t embarrass me now. _

“Now she has a good friend. I wonder how long can that poor man handle Aulea,” his father said to him as he threw himself on the bench and held his head between his hands, ashamed to look up at the playground. Noctis forcefully cracked an eye open and gave Regis a glare. “Look, they both have blond hair and high energy. Interesting.”

His eyes darted around, and he watched his daughter sliding down and Prompto copying her actions as if he was a child too. “There’s no way this was a coincidence,” he said. His father settled a hand over his shoulder and laughed. “He started working at Insomnia High yesterday. Now he says that he was Aulea’s teacher...”

“Look, son. This isn’t even surprising. I met my very old friend recently and—” His father cut himself off before he could finish his sentence, staring at the distance with an unreadable expression. “Nevermind. Aulea is studying in a prestigious school. You as well. That shouldn’t be very shocking to you.”

“You’re right...” The corner of his mouth quirked up into a lopsided smile, and then, “Dad, you gotta introduce me to this old friend of yours someday. I’m kinda curious.”

Regis simply nodded it off and bowed his head. Noctis opened his mouth to say something but quickly shut his mouth before the unwanted words slipped out. His father used to do the same thing back then when he was quite young, when Regis didn’t have the strength and power to continue their conversation. Or perhaps didn’t want to talk about it. Throughout the years, Noctis learned that he should be silent in these situations and just listen.

Half an hour later, Noctis and his father were both worn-out despite doing nothing but watch the kids—and that might be the main reason he got exhausted and bored—while Prompto and Auleaplayed enthusiastically. Prompto was helping Aulea swing and giggling as she accidentally kicked him, and no matter how much Noctis tried, he couldn’t find a single sign of tiredness or frustration on Prompto’s face. That left him thinking how much those two could handle one another, and their personalities resembled each other.

Aulea was a lovely and beautiful girl. She had blonde hair just like her mother. Also, that sweet smile and face that killed Noctis every time with her pure cuteness. And although she was still a child, she had some beauty marks and a few small pimples on her face that reminded him of Prompto’s freckles. Aulea was like sunshine. She had never failed to brighten Noctis’s day and bring a smile to his lips even in the worst days possible. When he felt down and wanted some distraction from real life, his daughter would always make him happy despite her young age.

And Prompto’s appearance was similar to his daughter, but there were some differences as well. They both reminded him of the sun and happiness. They both had the same energy and could make anyone smile in the worst circumstances. But Prompto was a lot older, stronger, more _ handsome.  _ Not that Aulea wasn’t beautiful; she was the most adorable and charming person he had ever met. But Prompto was attractive in a manly way.

He was ready to drift off. His eyes were half-lidded and heavy with drowsiness, his mouth opening wide with each long yawn. If it wasn’t because of Regis’s nags and yells—obviously teasingly—Noctis would’ve taken a nap so long ago. The only thing was that they were in public where all the parents and kids were watching as well as Prompto, so he struggled to remain awake.

“Aulea, dear,” Noctis heard his dad say next to his ears, making him jerk up with the sudden shock and yelp while already half asleep. He forced his eyes wide open only to meet Prompto and his daughter’s eyes staring at him with a sheepish smile. “I know you two just found each other and were starting to have fun, but it’s getting late, and your father needs to get some rest. He has to work tomorrow, did you forget? I think we tired your teacher out enough already.”

Prompto nodded, his lips curving up into a delicate smile that made his dimples show themselves enthusiastically to everyone. Noctis spent a minute—god knew for how long—looking at those adorable features on Prompto’s face, and before he knew that he was rudely staring, his father startled him with a hiss. 

“I understand. Today was a long day, but I was having fun with Aulea... she is a kind girl. I won’t get tired and, uh, yeah,” Prompto replied.

“You’re my dad’s friend. We can play in the park again, right? Can I come to your school and see you, Mr. Leonis?” Aulea asked, panting slightly due to playing and running fast.

Noctis cleared his throat and looked down awkwardly, wondering _ how in the world he was supposed to answer that. _ He inhaled sharply, folding his arms as he let out a quiet, “Um,” before fidgeting in a lack of having anything better to do. “Aulea, can we talk about this later? You should be sleeping.”

“But—” She pouted, making a sound between a cry and a groan, but closing her mouth before she continued. “Alright. Goodbye, Mr. Leonis. I’ll miss you...”

“Hey, don’t be sad, okay? We’ll meet again. Now that I know your father, everything will be a lot easier,” Prompto spoke, waving as Noctis grabbed his daughter’s hands and walked away. He was panting as well, standing there and looking a little disappointed that they already left after such a short time. Not that Noctis didn’t want to stay longer to make Aulea happy, but it was getting closer to midnight, and he and his daughter both had a school for tomorrow. It was too late to be outside.

Then, he found himself hesitating. He looked back for a moment and saw Prompto smiling at them, presumably at Noctis ,and appearing to be confused and hopeless. That was when Noctisstopped walking and turned his head toward the other man. He gave Aulea’s hand a little squeeze of assurance. “Can you two wait here for a sec? I wanna talk with Mr. Leonis about some... classes for tomorrow.”

When they both nodded and waited there patiently for him to finish, Noctis carefully stepped ahead to approach Prompto and blurt a stupid little, “Hey,” that seemed like something a 13-year-old boy who had gotten himself a lover for the first time would say. It was embarrassing how nervous he sounded without having any valid reasons to be.

“Hey yourself,” Prompto shot back with a broad grin. He pushed his hair away from his face and folded his hands together. “Do you want another mocha?”

“Oh no.” He was laughing. That was strange. Noctis would never laugh or act  _ happy _ when he was either tired or hungry, and he just realized how eccentric his behavior was today; h agreed to go to a coffee shop with Prompto and drink one of the coffees with the most calories, and it didn’t take him very long to forgive someone who’d ruined his day and made everyone mock him. And now... he wasn’t as grumpy as people used to complain about. “I’m never accepting your offers anymore. I can already feel myself getting fat.”

Prompto laughed at that, covering his mouth with the back of his hand to hide that sweet smile that appeared. “At least you won’t look like a stick anymore.” 

“Rude.” 

“You don’t deny it though.”

“I am. You’re the first person who called me a stick,” he answered. “Speaking of the first person... you made Aulea happy today after she had a hard time. I wanted to thank you for that. You know, I’m mostly busy these days, and my dad can’t bring her to the park, so... yeah. You have no idea how much that means to me as her father.”

Prompto chuckled and tilted his head to the side to stare down at the ground. He heaved out a deep sigh. He slowly nodded and then gave Noctis a look from the corner of his eyes to let him know that he was still listening. “She was a quiet girl. I guess we got along cause I  _ related _ to her the most. But she did her best in my class and got great grades, and if you think that art isn’t an important subject... every teacher in the school used to praise her and tell everybody that they had a clever student.”

“Yeah, she got that personality from me. Never was an extrovert type of guy either.” 

“Same, honestly. ” Prompto drew in a sharp breath, but quickly managed to pull himself together and crack a wry smile. “I like spending time with others. I really needed this. So I should be the one thanking you... your daughter made me feel much better today, and that’s the only thing I could ask for.”

He nodded. “We’re even then,” he grinned from ear to ear and let himself stare at the blue eyes sparkling violet with their own way of elegance. “See you tomorrow?”

“Yeah.”

He seemed to be expecting another answer since he just kept staring at Prompto, until Noctis realized how  _ creepy _ it must have looked. But then, Prompto wasn’t any better from him, gazing into his eyes with only one eye open and an uncontrollable flush creeping up his face. “Okay. See you.”

“See you,” Prompto whispered, beaming at the way he grimaced at his inappropriate behavior. And right after Noctis turned away to leave, he added, “...Mr. Noctis.” 

_ Never judge a book by its cover, _ he thought, grinning like a dork without even knowing why, and slowly walked away with a satisfied sigh.


	5. Rapture

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm excited, y'all~

_ Mornings are the worst.  _ Noctis thought while tapping the end of his pen upon the desk. He pressed a fist to his cheek and gawked at the plenty of exam papers in front of him waiting to be graded, blowing out a huff of frustration. Most of the papers were terrible. It seemed like nobody had ever looked at the book even once. The answers were most likely simply guesses, and the only thing that caught his attention was how Ignis got the best grade despite being troublesome.

He was examining Ignis’s paper once again for the unseen mistakes when somebody rapped on the door of the class. Noctis readjusted his glasses that were sliding over the tip of his nose. He cleared his throat and waited for the person on the other side of the door.

When the door opened, that person wasn’t the one he’d expected. Normally, students would disturb the teachers in the recess to suck up to them and beg so that they wouldn’t get bad grades. Nevertheless, at lunchtime, when everyone but Noctis was chatting in the halls and the cafeteria, he didn’t assume  _ Prompto  _ would come to visit him.

_ How did he even find Noctis? _ He was in a classroom out of many, and it wasn’t long since the bell rang and kids left the classrooms.

“Do you have time?” Prompto asked him as he entered the class anyhow. He had a cup of coffee and a broad grin on his face that left Noctis with no choice but to invite him in. “Sweet. You are wearing your glasses again.”

He laughed, putting the pen aside and clasping his hands together. He discreetly pushed the chair back to gain some space and talk with Prompto. “That’s what happens when you get old. You’ll get there.”

“You’re talking to me like I’m way younger than you. I’m 30, you know.” Prompto rolled his eyes, laughing. For a second, Noctis had to gawk at his face and find some hints that he was 30. Damn, the guy had aged  _ fine _ . If Prompto hadn’t have said that, he would’ve thought that he was two or three years younger than him.

“Sorry, didn’t know.” He let his gaze wander off on the desk. “You can come in. We have about 30 minutes, so there’s plenty of time left.”

Prompto nodded and closed the door behind him with a dull thud. There was tension between them. Prompto found his way toward a desk in front of Noctis and sat on it. Noctis pushed his bangs away from his face and touched his chin with a gesture of waiting for Prompto to start the conversation, his scruff scratching his fingers.

Finally, he broke the silence himself. “Aren’t you hungry? Shouldn’t you be eating in the teacher’s room right now?”

“Not my lunchtime. I eat around two or three. Pretty late, I know. Can’t do anything ’bout it.”

“Alright.”

“Are you grading stuff?”

His eyes lit up with a small nod. Noctis glanced at Ignis’s answers again, all correct with extra information that he’d taught outside of the book and wasn’t necessary at all. “Yeah. This one’s for a student named ‘Ignis.’ Do you know him?”

“The one with glasses and perfect clothes?” Prompto replied, a toothy grin on his face, sounding amused when he mentioned that student. Noctis gave him a low yes and reached for his wandering pen. “Yeah, I know him. Have you seen his drawings? They’re so awesome. He draws like an expert.”

“Hmm.” He hummed in agreement, staring at the ceiling with a deadpan expression. “So, did they tell you about the trip in two weeks?”

“Field trip?” Prompto inquired with a chuckle. He lowered his hands on the desk and peered over the window to watch the students roaming outside. “Not really. They said that there’d be one in one or two weeks, but I don’t know anything else.”

“Yeah. There’s usually plenty of these trips every year. The interesting one is always before the midterms. They want the students to have the energy to study for exams,” he explained as he pushed his chair back and stood up. “As far as I know, we’ll go camping near the chocobo farm near the city. It’s not so far from here though, maybe 20 minutes. But it’s fun.”

When he said the word chocobo, he swore Prompto’s entire face brightened up, and his eyes sparkled with excitement. He didn’t even bother to hide it. Noctis watched him grinning extensively, and his eyes widening, and he couldn’t help but snort at the enthusiastic but unexpected reaction coming from an adult. There was something special about it though—something in Prompto’s face that was brighter than the sunlight itself and helped him calm down. A feeling deep down inside his stomach that he hadn’t had since he and Luna divorced.

_ Don’t,  _ Noctis warned himself with a deep frown.  _ You promised yourself and your child. Don’t you dare speak with your heart again. _

It hurt badly. Years ago, Noctis thought he was in love and would live happily ever after with his new wife. But now, he was as broken as he looked. All messy and fatigued with having no purpose but to make sure Aulea was growing up properly and had everything she required, and looking after his sick dad. Noctis never once imagined that one day he’d have such a heavy responsibility, taking care of a whole family while having an emotional breakdown.

And of course, Noctis remembered having those strangling butterflies inside his stomach while he thought he was in love. He was young, naive, happy, and energetic without having to worry about his future. He had his father cater to him all the time.

_ If only I knew. If only I knew I could only live once and wouldn’t waste all those years figuring out what I want. _

But it was too late. They all grew up, his father grew old and ill, and he made a promise that he’d never have those stupid feelings again. Noctis swore to the god that he wouldn’t ever fall in love again because the only result of it would be him getting his heart scarred once more.

“Eos to Noctis? Did you hear me?” Prompto giggled, causing him to shake his head and push all the unpleasant thoughts away. “I said, are you sure we’ll go to a  _ chocobo _ farm? Not a sheep or something? Lions, tigers, monkeys? Do you really mean _chocobos_?!”

He chuckled.  _ Man, the guy does love chocobos after all. I wonder how he will react in front of the kids when he gets to see them.  _ “Prompto, we’re going to camp. No. I might not have good vision, but at least I have ears. We’re going to visit the chocobo farm next week.”

Prompto didn’t have to answer to express his feelings. He was already simpering as if there were dozens of baby chocobos in the room and a slight hint of flush expanded over his cheeks with a gesture of satisfaction. “I’m so happy that I’m finally working here. I– we all get to see chocobos. Oh my god.”

“Someone’s excited,” Noctis smirked. 

“What, you say you aren’t? How can somebody not be excited about chocobos?!”

“Aulea makes us go there every summer. I like chocobos, but I’m kinda used to it.”

Prompto paused for a moment. He threw his hands on his knees and agreed with delight, appearing to be drowning deep inside his imaginations. “Aulea likes camping too, huh? I wish she were a little older so she could come with us,” he cocked his head up and let his gaze shift on Noctis. “She’s so lucky to have you and your wife. Bet you two love your daughter so much.”

“Yeah.” He cleared his throat, amazed by how he managed to speak clearly without those unwanted sobs stuck in his throat. “Yeah. We do.”

\---

“I don’t want to leave Aulea alone,” he said to his father that night. He was busy reading a novel in the living room, Regis watching one of those old cliché action movies like his life depended on it. Noctis had already examined the papers and did all his homework. He was glad that he bought himself some free time to focus on things other than schoolwork.

He didn’t look up, but he could feel his father’s piercing eyes on him. The sentence came out of nowhere, of course, Noctis didn’t want to say that aloud or blurt out his feelings to his dad, but he couldn’ hide something that important from him either. “What made you think that you’re leaving her alone?” Regis finally spoke after a long time of delay.

He carefully set the book and his glasses aside only to rub his tired and throbbing eyes from wearing them more than he should’ve. “The trip. I want to go and get some fresh air outside of the city, but if Aulea notices, she won’t let me go,” he mumbled under his breath. “It doesn’t matter anyway. I can’t have fun without her being with me. I don’t want to be a bad father to her.”

“Son, we all need rest. You are always working for her, and everyone requires a break. Think of it this way, your daughter is an open-minded and kind person, and she will definitely understand that you want to spend time with your students and friends.” His father was now facing him. Even though it didn’t help Noctis a bit, he still had to nod and agree with his dad’s opinion. “You shouldn’t be so worried. I’m here, and I can take care of Aulea. Have you forgotten that I raised a spoiled child too?”

_ But you were healthy and strong back then.  _ A smile touched Noctis’s lips as he thought of that. He bit back the words that were supposed to come out, and instead, he said with a chuckle, “Dad, you— I know. But I can’t let Aulea tire you out. You work pretty hard for us already, so I won’t force you to take care of my daughter ‘cause I wanna escape from Insomnia.”

“You’re acting like this is my first time looking after her while you are gone.”

“Dad—” He almost groaned.  _ Why did everyone make it seem easy?  _ It wasn’t that simple, dammit. His father had been diagnosed with lung cancer not even a year ago. Everything was better and easier back then, but now that his father had gone weak and Aulea had grown up, he knew that Regis couldn’t take care of her. “Okay, listen. I don’t want to bring this up, but you’re sick, dad. You had knee replacement surgery about two weeks ago, and you can’t even stand up. Aulea needs someone to give her food right on time and someone to be there for her when she has nightmares. You can’t do all of these without getting irritated or tired.”

There was a delay. Noctis felt guilty for telling his father that he didn’t have enough strength to take care of a child, but he wasn’t lying either. That might’ve sounded bitter and ruthless, but anyone who knew Noctis would also know that he just wanted his family to be safe, happy, and comfortable as possible. Being brutal because he selfishly decided to go on a trip and leave his sick dad alone would make everything worse than it already was.

Regis cleared his throat and abruptly broke the silence, “Yes, I have to agree with that, but her mother is here and—”

“No. There’s no way I’m gonna let her stay with Luna for two days. Are you insane?” he cut in before his father was able to finish his sentence, and drew in a sharp breath to prevent himself from saying something stupid. But no matter how hard he resisted the urge, he couldn’t help himself but wonder,  _ how in the world could his dad come up with such a crazy and irrational solution? _

“You are talking with your father, Noctis. Be cautious about the words you say,” Regis warned in an alarming tone that caused Noctis to take a deep breath and calm the hell down.  _ He’s right, get a grip. The world’s not ending. _ “And thankfully, I still haven’t gone insane. You told me that Lunafreya wants to meet her daughter, and I can’t see why not. Maybe if she took care of Aulea for a couple of days, she would realize how hard it is to provide your child with affection and her requirements.”

He shot up an eyebrow, feeling his forehead puckering at how Regis simply said it as if it was that easy. “Easier said than done, Regis Caelum.” Noctis settled his head on the sofa arm and allowed himself to get more comfortable. “Sure, let’s say Aulea stays with her mother for a few days. What if Luna becomes more stubborn and dunno, wants her daughter to stay with her?”

“That doesn’t make a difference. The situation is the same whether or not you let Luna get in touch with Aulea. If a mother wants something, especially if that’s about her child, she will get it one day.”

“god, I don’t have any choice left, do I?” he commented helplessly, holding his head between his hands before bolting upright to rush toward Aulea’s room without waiting for any answers. “I’m going to talk with her for a sec.”

“Good luck,” he heard his dad say behind him, his voice trailing off as Noctis left.

He cleared his throat and tapped against the door of Aulea’s bedroom. There was a moment of silence, and then his daughter finally announced her presence with a low ‘come in’ before Noctis entered the room. “Hey, do you have time?” he asked with a hint of a smile on his face. When Aulea nodded, he closed the door behind him and watched his daughter writing something down on her notebook. “What are you doing?”

She shrugged. “Doing homework. What about you?” She cracked a smile. 

“Nothing much. I was checking the exam papers today.” Sitting on the small bed, Noctis scratched the back of his neck and slowly said, “Can we talk for a moment, Aulea?”

“Are you okay, dad? I don’t like it when you call my full name. It means that you are sad or angry, and something bad will happen.” Aulea eventually stopped writing and pushed her chair back, walking over Noctis to settle on his lap. She rested her head against his shoulder and let out a sigh of grief.

“No, sunshine. Nothing bad is going to happen. I just wanna talk, that’s all,” he reassured.  _ Is Aulea sad? Did something happen in the school that she won’t tell me? _ The more he thought about that, the more distressed he became. Noctis’s heart was starting to beat wildly against his chest as his daughter stayed still and sniffed, feeling all the blood in his body surging in his ears. He had to take a deep breath so that his heart would calm down, wrap an arm over Aulea’s shoulders, and say with the most relaxed voice, he managed to, “So, how’s been things? Is school going well?”

She tilted her head to the side and stared at Noctis with two pairs of huge and confused baby blue eyes. “Yup. Math is a little bit hard this year, but my teacher is helping me. Do students still make you sad, dad?”

_ So you’re worried about me.  _ Noctis could swear he felt his heart aching with sadness, disappointment sagging through him, and those words only plunged him deeper into despair. _ I’m your dad, and I should make sure you’re happy, but you’re still worried about me and asking if the students are making me sad. _

It almost hurt how his daughter, who was 22 years old younger than him, was able to understand that Noctis was sad only by his reactions. He felt so vulnerable in that moment. He was Aulea’s father, and he had the responsibility to look after her and provide her with happiness. But yet, she was the person who was looking after Noctis. She was kind, selfless, lovely, and tender-hearted and he felt so safe near her.

“Don’t worry about me, Aulie. They won’t make dad sad,” he muttered, placing his hands on hers and holding it tightly. “I wanted to talk about the trip we go on every year. I heard that next week, the teachers and students are going to visit a chocobo farm and go camping for a couple of days.”

“What about you?”

“What?”

Her nose wrinkled and her brows drew together. “You said, ‘teachers and students,’ but not yourself. They don’t want you to go?” she asked, and oh, Noctis just understood the mistake he made by saying that. “I wish I could go with them, dad. I love chocobos.”

“I know. But we’re going to go there together very soon, okay? I won’t break my promise,” he answered. “So, yeah. They asked me to go, but that means I should leave you alone with grandpa for a few days. And you’re aware of the situation yourself. Grandpa is a little unwell, and he can’t take care of you. He needs someone to look after him.”

“You don’t want to be happy, dad? But you’re always working. Your hands are always numb, and your back hurts. My hands are small and I–I can’t help you, and when you don’t work, you’re cooking food for us or helping grandpa. You’re never happy anymore, dad. I miss you.”

He gulped thickly. “Aulea...” he uttered a sigh and pulled her closer. “I can’t leave you alone here...”

“Is there anybody I can stay with?”

_ Here we go, _ Noctis thought as he chewed on his bottom lip and swallowed the thick lump in his throat to prepare himself for the words he was supposed to say. “Uh, there actually is... someone is willing to keep you—” A shaky breath, and he snapped his eyes shut to continue without having to look directly at Aulea’s eyes. “Your mom. I know you will say no, and I understand that. You don’t need to say anything.”

_ Come on. Say something. _

“Okay.” Noctis did a double-take at that, his eyes widening and mouth hanging open. That wasn’t the answer he expected. Aulea hadn’t seen her mother for nearly a year, other than a couple of hours on some weekends, so Noctis anticipated nothing more than disagreement. However, she didn’t complain for once and didn’t question it. She just accepted it as if she met her mother every day, and that was astonishing to Noctis. “I don’t have a problem. I can stay with my mom.”

After one minute of staring at the floor and trying to comprehend what Aulea just said, he finally flashed a wry but sad smile and responded with a reassuring tone, “Hey, you shouldn’t do this because you want me to go.”

“No, I’m not saying this because of that, dad,” she said confidently and more precise than before as she stood up and pecked him on the cheek. “A little. But I want to make you happy. I don’t want you to be sad. And I miss my mom. I want to see her and her...”

“Fiancé?” he completed with a chuckle. Aulea nodded immediately despite being a little embarrassed to call ‘Nyx’ her mother’s future husband. But he admitted that if he were in Aulea’s shoes, he would’ve done the same or even overreacted. It was difficult for someone, especially a child, to get used to their parents’ new partner and get close to them.

Aulea attempted to hide the flush growing across her face by looking away and covering it. She giggled, and then, “Yep. If you let me, I’ll make him buy candies for me.”

“Alright.” He chuckled at his daughter’s enthusiasm. “But promise that you’ll call me if you need anything. I’ll be there in less than an hour, okay?”

“And dad? Can you buy chocolate and vanilla cookies for me? From that big shop on the road when you get out of Insomnia. They’re always yummy.”

Noctis nodded, hoping that everything would go perfectly fine, and Luna would finally become satisfied with the circumstances. Deep inside, he also hoped that the Nyx guy was a kind man so that his daughter wouldn’t be uncomfortable in their house and wouldn’t want to visit her mom anymore. “I’ll try my best, Aulie. Anything for you.”

“You’re the best, dad.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for your support❤


	6. Humble Beginnings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally! Happy to announce this is my favorite chapter so far <3
> 
> Don't even ask me why I used to write Prompto so sarcastic months ago.😂 I swear he'll eventually get better as I write more about his background

“Shouldn’t you be on the bus, dad?”

“Did I hear that correctly? Are you trying to hang up on your father and get rid of me?” he asked, faking a loud gasp and pretending to be hurt by Aulea’s words. He was sitting on a desk in one of the classrooms, just like those students who were trying to act ‘cool’ when the teachers weren’t present in the class. He had brought a bag of chips due to his daughter’s insistence and he was currently eating them for lack of anything better to do as the other teachers tried to line the kids up. 

He heard his daughter laugh, and there was an intelligible whisper that most likely came from Luna. “Dad, you should have fun. If you keep talking to me, you’ll be bored. And you shouldn’t keep your students waiting, okay?” she said reassuringly.

“I’ll never get bored with your voice.” 

“Dad!”

“What?!” replied Noctis with a breathless laugh, finding himself acting like a child as if he wasn’t a science teacher at a famous school in the capital city.

His daughter scoffed on the other side of the phone, and Noctis chuckled at her reaction and the way she was getting annoyed by his teasing. “Go have fun, dad! Or else I’ll hang up and won’t answer your calls anymore!”

_ Wait, this is going bad, _ Noctis thought. He hesitated to reply and stared at his feet hanging in the air, face forming a deep frown. _ No, calm down. She is teasing you, remember? This is called a payback, and you deserve it. _

He took in a sharp breath. He shifted on the uncomfortable and hard desk and managed to respond with his most casual tone, “I got stabbed in the back by my own daughter. Alright, go have fun with your mom. Don’t forget to call me again though.” Noctis looked up at the empty class. “Oh, one more thing. How’s everything going over there?”

There was a pause. Something made a loud banging noise, and Noctis’s heart skipped a beat and started pounding fast. But then, Aulea’s giggle echoed through the phone as she shouted something like ‘food’ and ‘burn’ that Noctis didn’t comprehend, but it calmed his heart down. “Everything is good. Grandpa said his caregiver is with him, and he’s fine. My mom is teaching me how to make soup, and Nyx is at work! I’m having fun, dad. Don’t worry about me.”

“My sweet girl.” He smiled, a little sadly since he knew that he wouldn’t see Aulea for days after this call. For a moment, he let his eyes dart around, and his gaze landed on the door, taking in the sight of Prompto leaning against it with a death glare. “Hey, Prompto. I’m talking to Aulea right now. Come in.”

“Is Mr. Leonis there?! I miss you, Mr. Leonis!” Aulea unexpectedly screamed in his ears without caring that Noctis was on a call with her with at max volume—but like she knew that her father was a dumb, stupid man who would keep his volume at its highest even when talking with a child.

“Ow, my ears,” he whispered, expression deadpan. Prompto’s lips twitched into a small smile, but it quickly faded as Noctis’s eyes met his.  _ Did I do something wrong? Why is he acting shady? _

Prompto folded his arms. “Say hi to her for me,” he said with a kind voice, probably talking to Aulea and not him, still having that exasperated expression that Noctis was quite scared of.

“Aulea, your teacher says hi. And we’re probably leaving in fifteen minutes. Thank your mom for taking care of you,” he spoke as his eyes settled on Prompto’s face and arms. wanting to know what he could have done to someone as tender-hearted as Prompto to annoy him. It was surprising, and of course, a strange feeling. 

“Okay!” Aulea rejoiced. Noctis was too distracted watching Prompto’s face getting flushed red as he scowled, and somehow he still looked good. Noctis realized how often he would just spend his time analyzing every detail of Prompto’s face. It made him wonder if all people his age would do the same, especially Prompto, or if he was just an eccentric guy with a broken heart looking for some attention. “Goodbye, dad. Bye, Mr. Leonis!”

“Bye!” Prompto stepped inside the class and closed the door behind him. He scooted toward him with a toothy grin on his face. “And here I thought you were organizing the trip.”

_ That... was it? _

That showed the fact that Noctis was overthinking and was worried over nothing. He did think that he had done something crazy, like accidentally humiliating Prompto in front of others without knowing or showing an awful attitude. It was also interesting how the other man would quickly get angry over such unimportant things. 

He finally raised a sheepish smile at Prompto and shook his head in disapproval. “Organizing the trip? Prompto, I’m a teacher. I wanna have fun too.”

“Mhm,” Prompto hummed and walked closer to him. He rested his hips against the desk, putting a hand over Noctis’s shoulder without any warnings that nearly made him yelp. He could feel the warm and gentle hands carelessly patting on his shoulders as if someone 40 years his senior was giving him life advice. “I’m still pissed at you. We’re down there screaming our lungs out, and you are eating chips and sitting on the desk like a gentleman.” Prompto couldn't hold in his laughter, too, so he couldn't take anything serious. The hands slipped down, and in a matter of seconds, they were gone and replaced with nothing but coldness. 

“You’re pissed, and somehow still call me a gentleman.”

“Get off, please. I put my hands on that desk,” Prompto groaned, followed by a chuckle. “god, you’re such a child.”

“You’re funny when you’re angry, has anyone ever told you that?”  _ You’re cute,  _ Noctis meant to say that. _ It's not that you weren’t cute before, but now you’re somehow extra adorable when you’re trying so hard to roast me but failing miserably.  _

“Follow me, Sir, please, and thank you.”

_ Cocksure, _ he thought with a meaningful smirk but didn’t work up the nerves to say it aloud. Prompto was giving him small glances from the corner of his eyes as they walked down the long hallway and reached the stairs. And god, he felt so small in that moment. Not that kind, but Noctis felt like he was a teenager again, trying to find a smart way to skip the class or pretend to be sick. He remembered one of those boys giving him a school tour and showing him around. That was when his father had a business trip, and his mom couldn’t take care of Noctis all alone.

Although he was getting bullied for his looks and height, he tried his hardest to hang on and be successful for his parents and himself. It didn’t take him so long to grow up. One day, he was in kindergarten trying to find one friend like he watched in the cartoons, and the other day, he was carrying his child in a hospital. Never in a million years Noctis thought that he would be this lucky to have a good job and family for himself, but now, here he was. 

He had a pretty good life.

Good days, even though those times were nothing more than hell to Noctis. He kind of missed them.

He snapped out of his thoughts when they exited the building and met the sight of students lining up and leaving the schoolyard with the teachers. Prompto was grinning at him with his hand locked together, hair flying in the air due to the heavy winds. The blond locks had covered almost every part of his face, but Noctis could still see the brightness of his eyes and smile, and of course, his adorable freckles.

“Alright. This is called the schoolyard, in case you don’t know about it. Those automobiles over there are school buses, and us teachers are about to enter it and scream for hours until we reach the campground,” Prompto said, a delicate smile appearing on his lips with no hesitation. “And you know what? You and I will do most of the work because we are caring and selfless teachers. We are going to sit on the front and hush the students while you make sure everything is going on schedule.”

He opened his mouth, then closed it for lack of anything to complain about. He laughed with disbelief, and as Prompto tossed an eyebrow up and tutted, he growled, “Is that a punishment?”  _ Because that was the worst and most brutal punishment someone could ever give to somebody like me.  _

“You can put it that way.” Prompto merely shrugged. He pointed toward the buses on the street and said, “This way, the students are already on the bus and ready to go.” 

“Way to start a day. Perfect.”

“There are eight teachers, the assistant principal, almost 60 students, and three buses. All the students are 11th graders because of the capacity and the number of buses,” Prompto explained as they walked down the yard, both of their eyes narrowing because of the sun beating down directly upon their face. The funny part was that Prompto was telling him these rules as if he was the one who had worked at the school for years, and Noctis was the one who started one or two weeks ago.

When they reached outside, a few students were still wandering around the buses but eventually got in when Noctis gave them an angry glance. Prompto was making sure nobody was outside and gave Noctis a glimpse before he entered the bus, guiding him inside as well. They sat on the chair at the very front to keep everything in order and check the students’ condition, and it didn’t take long for them and the driver to get ready.

Prompto gave him an encouraging smile and turned around to face the students. “Alright, everyone! I know we talked about the rules before in the class, but I want to mention some important things again. We’re going on an overnight trip, and I expect you to listen to me. Please be quiet, and if you want to talk, make sure it’s just a whisper. Don’t run too far away from us, and yeah. I’ll explain more later. We should’ve left five minutes ago.”

“Do you think they’ll listen?” Noctis said mockingly with a knowing smirk dancing on his lips.

“They’ve grown up. Of course they’ll listen.” Prompto threw himself on the chair and rested his head against it. He let out a sigh of relief as everyone became silent for a minute only to start over after a very short while of solace. Noctis watched him rub his temples and laugh at himself, and then, “At least, I hope so…”

“You’re too courteous for your own good.” With that, Prompto jerked his head toward him, and their gaze met. For a moment there, Noctis had to repeat that certain sentence once again in his head to make sure he didn’t say anything inappropriate. Prompto did look a bit speechless and surprised, but not irritated, judging by the broad grin that was growing on his face.

“Is that a compliment, Noctis?” Prompto looked away with a smile, pink tinging his cheeks.

Noctis, after a long time of silence, decided that he didn’t want to answer that particular question. He got comfortable on the chair and pressed his head against the bus's window, watching all the smaller automobiles move past them as the students kept screaming. “Seems like maybe you should scream your lungs out after all.” He smirked as Prompto shot him a glance and groaned. “Good luck.”

“Guys?!” Prompto cried, his face forming a grimace. Prompto clutched at his throat when he shouted at the students, and when he realized none of his techniques would work here, he tried instead, “Can you please stay quiet?! My head hurts!”

Noctis’s eyebrows rose at that, and he couldn’t help but laugh. “Pfft. Do you really think that’ll work?”

“Oh, why don’t you come here and shush them yourself, Mr. Omniscient?”

“Alright. I’ll show you how it’s done,” Noctis said proudly, standing up with a wide grin that most likely would only make the situation worse. He cleared his throat and sighed. “Everyone, if I hear any more screams, I’ll lower your marks and call your parents. Don’t make me regret going on this trip. Respect your teachers. We’re working hard.”

“Mr. Caelum, can we please not talk about grades when we’re on a trip? That’s stressful,” one of the students replied, and even though Noctis should’ve already become angry and shouted at that kid, he found himself laughing at the bold comment. Bravery was a thing he admired and knowing that there were students who would take the risk to say something like that to defend their friends made him feel a little proud.

“Hey! You’re lucky I’m in a good mood today!” Noctis retorted with a laugh as he quietly sat down and stared at the blond’s cheerful face, ready to burst into laughter.

Prompto folded his arms, leaning against the chair to get more comfortable and ready to do nothing for about an hour. “Such a compassionate teacher,” he said with mock exasperation and a laugh. The students were already getting quieter, but he could still hear those high-pitched screams that drove both Noctis and Prompto insane. “Okay, okay. You can have your fun, but on the condition that you don’t cause trouble. And we won’t be talking about stressful stuff anymore.”

“At the end of the day, they’ll realize that I’d helped them to at least learn one thing.” Noctis huffed.

“Hey. Teaching is not all about taking exams and stuff. I’ve learned that the kinder you are, the more trustworthy you will be, and the students would want to interact with you. I understand you though. You’re doing great. At least you care for your students. Not the thing you’ll see every day.”

He certainly did spend another minute looking at Prompto’s eyes and thinking about what he just said. But he knew deep down that those words weren’t just a blatant lie or an effort to earn Noctis’s attention and trust. It was strange how he felt, but also amazing. Amazing to know that there were still people who knew how much he struggled. “Thanks, I guess.” Feeling himself grinning like a dork, he looked away and pressed a fist to his forehead. “Not every day you see somebody appreciating my works.”

He heard Prompto hum. “That’s strange. You’re hardworking— shit!” Prompto hissed as the driver sharply braked, his bag and phone violently dropping on the floor. Prompto groaned and went down to pick his stuff. An uncontrollable smile formed on Noctis’s lips when Prompto cursed, but he quickly managed to pull himself together and not laugh at it hysterically. “What was funny about that?”

“You just swore in front of me.”

“Yeah, yeah. Teachers do this kinda stuff when they’re not close to the students.” Prompto giggled. “Sooo, tell me a little about yourself. It’s really boring here.”

“Me?”

“Yup. I can start instead if you want.”

“Sure, go on. But I, uh, won’t get into many details, okay?”

“Alright.” Prompto cracked a sheepish smile. “So, my full name is Prompto Elio Leonis, but the middle one’s forgotten so I won’t use it anymore. I love photography and drawing. They’re one of the most important reasons I chose to teach art. My family wanted me to become a doctor or lawyer or something, but my dad always supported me and told me to follow my dreams. Once I made up my mind and decided that I wanted to teach people, my family got really disappointed in me. Only my dad was there, but that was enough for me to keep trying.”

Noctis felt that. When he was young, everyone expected him to be better than what he currently was. When people used to talk about being rich and having the best job, teaching probably wasn’t one of the best options, but it wasn’t like Noctis listened to them. Otherwise, he would’ve given up a lot earlier, and maybe he wouldn’t be as successful as he was right now in the first place. 

“I’m sorry, Prompto, for everything you’ve been through.”

“It’s okay. It’s been so long, and I got over it years ago. Thanks for listening,” Prompto whispered, and then, a strange silence developed between them that none of them dared to break. Noctis appreciated that Prompto trusted him enough to tell him about his unfortunate past. However, he was still wondering what he did in the last two weeks that Prompto felt like Noctis should be aware of it. It was a great feeling, sure, but he was constantly overthinking and fretting over things that may not matter that much.

“A question though, why are you telling me this? I mean, I like to hear about you, but my point is why do you trust me? Do you think I’m a trustworthy person?” he asked.

Prompto looked up at him, lips pressed together. “Maybe I just want somebody to understand me. I never had that chance. My family wasn’t accepting and— uh, nevermind. Yeah, I do trust you. I don’t want to sound creepy or anything, but every time I talk with you, I feel like you know what I mean and actually listen to me.” Then he added, “And you’re far more experienced than I am. You have a wife, probably a big happy family, and a sweet child who is always worried about you. I don’t have those yet.”

_ If only you knew. _

Noctis blew out a deep sigh. “I get it,” he muttered, feeling a heavy weight resting right upon his chest as he thought about what Prompto said.  _ Big happy family. Wife. Yeah, right. _ “I’m usually not... very open with people, but I’ll make an exception for you. You can talk with me.”

About half an hour later, they were still on their way to the campground. Prompto was taking a nap alongside all of the other students, and as much as Noctis wanted to be in his shoes, he knew somebody had to watch over them. Of course, Noctis couldn’t work up the courage to wake the other man up because Prompto was sleeping so innocently as if he was tired for days or even months, and that would just be cruel.

Fifteen minutes passed, and Prompto finally woke up after a loud honk as well as many others. He rubbed his eyes and stiffened up, trying to comprehend what was happening and whether they’d arrived or not. Usually, Noctis would feel like shit after a short nap, but Prompto was as energetic as ever and he also had that wry smile on his face like always.

Still, Noctis hadn’t managed to figure out how a person could be so happy and beautiful at the same time right after waking up.

When everybody was fully awake, and Noctis announced they would most likely arrive by 20 minutes, the tumult began again. This time, Noctis noticed that the students were all talking in the same note. Then he realized they were singing a song that he didn’t recognize, even though it seemed familiar, because Prompto Leonis, the only teacher beside him was also singing it.

He overheard some things like ‘Mr. Leonis is singing with us,’ and ‘I think he likes it,’ and the only thing he was able to do was to watch Prompto snapping his eyes shut and singing with his mouth wide open. Noctis would be lying if he said that the entire scene wasn’t hilarious. He tried his best not to laugh or join them just for the hell of it, but both options were too difficult that he was barely staying deadpan. 

“Ahem. Mr. Prompto? This is quite inappropriate.” Noctis cleared his throat. At this point, he was amazed that he managed to stay calm and quiet while Prompto was hitting those high notes and singing aloud next to his ears.

Prompto finally stopped singing only to burst into laughter a second after. “It’s my favorite song! I can’t help myself!” He almost shouted, lip-syncing the remaining part of the song. “Alright everyone, we’re all having fun, and I understand you, but you need to be quiet until we reach the campsite. The driver has to focus on keeping us safe.”

“Sir, can we sing a little? We’ll be quiet after that. It was so fun when you were singing with us too.”

Noctis rolled his eyes. “They’re sucking up to you. Don’t listen to them.”

“But—” Prompto cut himself off and lowered his head to think. But of course, throughout the last two weeks that Noctis knew him, he’d learned that if Prompto wanted and craved something, he wouldn’t let go until he got it. It was a little soon to know that specific trait, but it was something that Prompto didn’t even bother to hide. “If I sing, will you not talk until we reach our destination?”

_ Why am I not surprised, _ Noctis thought with a grimace.

As he’d expected, the answers were ‘yes’ or things like ‘we promise we’ll be quiet after that.’ Prompto was already preparing, and Noctis decided he would keep his head down for the rest of the ride.

“I can’t believe you fell for their trap,” Noctis groaned, hands covering his face. “This is embarrassing.”

“This is art. They’ll stay quiet, plus, they’ll learn something related to this subject.”

“Is this even allowed—”

Prompto started singing before he could finish his sentence, and the bus fell into a relaxing silence right as he began. Noctis sat back and listened to Prompto’s unbelievably beautiful and melodic singing voice that left everyone speechless. It somehow reminded him of the past. Not five or ten years ago. A lot before that, when he was just a child like Aulea. He used to get sick easily, and his health was usually fragile. He caught the flu for the first time when he was 10, and his mom would sit on his bed and sing him to sleep. Sometimes she would sing him a lullaby, sometimes his favorite song. They never failed to make Noctis feel better.

Noctis didn’t know how the time passed. He stared down at his feet with wide eyes as Prompto finished singing and got a round of enthusiastic applause. It was beautiful. That was all he could say, and yet, decided not to express his feelings verbally but with a proud grin that appeared on his face. Prompto looked like he was a little embarrassed by all that encouragement and interest, gawking at Noctis as if he wanted to tell him something important.

“Wow, didn’t know you could sing like that. It was great,” Noctis said instead, a hint of pride and satisfaction apparent in his voice.

Prompto let his gaze settle on him. He cracked a shy smile. “Thank you. I’m not confident about my singing voice, but I’m trying to improve it. Sorry if I wasn’t that good.”

“You sounded as good as most of the singers I know.”

“Uh... you’re really flattering me. This is embarrassing. Thank you so much.”

He threw his hands on his lap. His eyes darted around. “And they’re really sitting quietly now,” Noctis said, impressed and surprised that the students were sitting quietly. “You’re an expert in these things. I should learn a thing or two from you.”

Prompto’s reply was merely a chuckle, but happiness and joy were flashing in his eyes that Noctis assumed he wasn’t used to many compliments. He also wondered why. Prompto was a gorgeous and talented man who deserved to be praised and admired and seeing that he got so happy over a simple compliment made Noctis’s heart ache.

“Do you know when we will arrive?” Prompto asked after a few minutes. He looked out of the window next to Noctis and frowned.

“Yeah. It shouldn’t take so long, I think around five minutes,” Noctis said. “Hate to break it to you, but we will be camping today. And since we’ll be staying there tonight, we are going to visit the chocobo farm tomorrow. There’s a river near it, so I think we’ll be allowed to go there too.”

Prompto pouted sadly, followed by a laugh that made Noctis sure that he wasn’t that sad. “Aw man. I was hoping to see some chocobos today. I guess I have to carry on till tomorrow.” He toyed with the hem of his shirt and slowly but confidently mumbled, “You look tired today.”

“Tired? I don’t like mornings, but shouldn’t you have said this a lot earlier?” Noctis laughed, rubbing a stinging eye due to the lack of sleep.

“No, ni. It’s not like that. Is something bothering you?”

“Nothing is bothering me, Prompto. Please don’t be so worried about me,” he lied, nose wrinkling and voice trailing away. Noctis never once believed those words, but it wasn’t like he would tell the truth to anyone, even to his father. Nobody needed to know, especially someone emotional and kind like Prompto.

Prompto looked away with a sigh as if he was avoiding eye contact. “If you say so.”

“We’ve arrived,” he announced when he saw the familiar sign, voice coming out a little louder than he’d expected and enough to startle Prompto and the students. He picked up his bag and got ready to exit the bus before everyone. Walking over to Prompto and giving him a little nod, he said, “So, everybody line up. You’ll exit the bus one by one, and don’t run too far away. Make sure we leave the place together.”


	7. Woods

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ohh *rubs hands together* we're getting somewhere after all. 
> 
> Thank you for your support <3

Thirty minutes later, almost everybody settled down, and some went to their tents or examined the area. Noctis was sitting on a folding chair with his arms crossed and eyes heavy-lidded, a quiet yawn escaping his mouth. He watched as the kids played around and tried to explore the place with curiosity. He wasn’t going to lie. He was starting to get bored. There was still nothing he could do.

“Here,” Prompto sang out as he walked out of the tent. He turned his head toward the other man who was offering him a cup with an excited expression, lips twitching into a smile. There was a moment of silence between them as Noctis eyed the cup and the liquid inside it.

“What’s that?” he asked, even though he most likely knew what was inside the cup. 

Prompto tossed a brow up, and his lips set into a hard line. He stepped closer and thrust the cup in Noctis’s hand. “Coffee. You’re tired. It looks like you didn’t eat anything since yesterday,” he said, as Noctis all but huffed at that behavior.

“I don’t need that to keep me awake,” Noctis pointed out, knowing that he certainly needed that cup of coffee to keep himself awake for the rest of the morning. Perhaps he was just obstinate and ridiculously stubborn in front of Prompto. Maybe he just liked teasing people, especially Prompto, because he liked seeing those hilarious reactions. But Noctis also knew that he would always lose to him anyway.

Prompto sighed, putting a gentle hand on his back in comfort. “Noctis,” he whispered kindly like that would change Noctis’s decision. Like Noctis would stop being so stubborn. “Don’t do this to yourself. Take it. Please.”

“Why do you care?” He shot Prompto a glance. His voice was slow and full of uncertainty. Besides his parents, nobody had cared for Noctis that much that he wasn’t used to others being kind out of nowhere. He forgot those types of people existed in the first place. It was painful how he was slowly forgetting how it was like to be cared about.

“I’m your friend,” said Prompto, still looking at the coffee cup and encouraging him to take a sip of it. “Plus, anyone else would’ve done that. You must have the energy to work and do whatever you want. I don’t want you to hurt yourself.”

“You know that coffee won’t do any good to my body, right?” Noctis snorted. “I don’t need that anyway.”

The hands on his back were gone, but he could still feel Prompto’s sad eyes on him. They were arguing over such a simple and pointless thing. It wasn’t worth it. He would prefer it much more if Prompto hadn’t insisted on him drinking a damn coffee. 

“I know. I also know that you can’t and won’t agree to eat a full meal. I think we can start with something small like coffee, and then continue with bigger foods. How’s that?”

Noctis finally looked up at him. He found himself smirking and sipping on his coffee as Prompto sat down on the clean grass. “You sound just like my dad.”

“I assume that’s a good thing.”

“He cares too much for me. I’m starting to worry about how much he handles stress just to make sure I’m eating healthy.” 

“I can’t help it. I can’t watch other people suffer,” Prompto replied with a shrug. “And your dad sounds adorable. He loves you so much.”

“Do you have a girlfriend?” he blurted out before he could say anything else, immediately regretting the nosy and poor choice of words that were none of his business. Prompto was probably thinking about how inquisitive he was. Noctis wished he could go back in time and never say those words ever again.

“Huh?” After two minutes of silence, Prompto replied with an awkward laugh and scratched the back of his neck. 

“Earlier you said you don’t have a big family yet. Does that mean you’re planning to have—” God, he wished the ground could just open up and swallow him whole. It was like he couldn’t control himself every time he opened his mouth. “Sorry. That was a stupid question. I’m rambling.”

Prompto shook his head no, covering his grinning face with his hands. “No, you’re alright,” he said reassuringly. “And no. Unfortunately, I still haven’t got the opportunity or the looks to attract anyone. Why do you ask? You want to introduce me to one of your friends?”

_ Friends? _ Noctis thought. His mouth twitched into a smile now that he knew Prompto wasn’t offended. “Oh no.” He pressed a fist to his temple and tapped his feet against the ground. “I was just asking ‘cause I think you’d be an amazing dad. I see how you react around children.”

Prompto’s eyebrows snapped together as if Noctis reminded him of something quite unpleasant. “Really? But I don’t think I’d be a good dad. I just, I don’t know. I like children, but you know, my own one? I’m a little scared.”

“It sure is scary,” he agreed.

“Hey, Noctis?” Prompto asked, his voice shaky and trailing away. “You were young when you had your child. I’m getting older every year, and even if I want to have one right now—which I probably can’t—I’d get older, and my child wouldn’t want to have an old and weary man picking them up from school. I see how proud the students get when their young parents come to school.”

“Don’t say that. You never know what’ll happen to you tomorrow.” 

“Surely there won’t be anyone falling in love and wanting to marry me by the end of the year.”

Noctis didn’t believe that. Nothing was impossible. Even a whole life could change in just one day. Also, Prompto was an attractive man with a kind heart, lovable soul, and beautiful personality. Those were things he lacked or had little of, but some people still called him gorgeous and hot. 

Prompto was saying those things like he was all old and doddering. They were both 30 years old, and they still had a long road ahead of themselves, not even halfway through. Noctis had seen people in their 60s falling in love like teenagers and marrying despite their age with his own eyes. Prompto was a strong, muscled, and powerful man. He also had some good looks. He could easily attract many and have a long line of people wanting him with or without children.

“You wanna know a secret?” inquired Noctis. Prompto looked up and nodded enthusiastically. “I also used to think the same. But two months later, I was already marrying. Seven months after that, I got the news that I’m becoming a father. It all happened so fast that I have no idea how the last eight years passed.”

“You’re good at these things.”

He snorted. “Getting married?” he asked, dumbfounded that Prompto called him good at marrying and becoming a father of all things.

“No, not that.” Prompto laughed and leaped onto his feet. Noctis took another sip of his coffee. “Just... calming people and giving advice. It’s not hard to understand you know what you’re doing.”

“Mr. Leonis! Mr. Caelum! We need help!” He heard some yells, and his attention immediately fell on a few students calling them for some kind of help. He used the opportunity to get rid of the coffee and put the cup aside, bolting upright to sprint toward the kids and run away from Prompto.

Before he was able to escape, Prompto grabbed his arms and pulled him backward, shoving the cup in his grasp once again and warning, “Finish your coffee.”

Noctis outright groaned loudly and accepted the cup. “Ugh, Prompto,” he tried his last chance, and when he made sure that Prompto wouldn’t change his mind and insisted that he must finish it, Noctis drank the whole coffee in one go and felt himself getting nauseous. “Alright. It’s finished. I’m going to throw up.”

“And I’m gonna make sure you eat healthy meals while we’re here. Let’s go help.” Prompto smiled proudly as they strolled down the area until they approached the students who were pulling out some equipment from their bags.

“This is exciting.”

“And stressing,” he added.

“Relax. Nobody’s going to get hurt.” Prompto laughed, and then, “Can we also join the game, guys?” The kids nodded right away and grinned.

“Excuse me?”

“Come on.” Pointing over the bags, he explained, “Just catch the frisbee. It’s not so hard. We’re on the same team. Here’s the rule; if someone manages to land a frisbee on top of the target, they’ll receive one point. The first team that gets five points will be the winner.”  _ This is not your first time, is it? _ Noctis thought, grimacing and trying to memorize the rules of the game as the students walked farther from them to prepare.

“This better be worth it,” he said.

“Are you ready, Mr. Caelum?” The students asked as they stood on the other side.

Noctis nodded and leaned closer to Prompto for support. “Yeah. Let’s go,” he shouted back, and in a matter of seconds, the students launched the frisbee over his head that it was impossible for someone his height to catch that. Not fair, he thought as he tried his best to catch it and jump high. Noctis probably looked so stupid and ridiculous in that position and made fun of himself. The game was rigged. “What?!” He yelled. He jumped in surprise, stumbled over a stone, and fell on the grass.

_ Thank god nothing happened to me. _

“Noctis!” Prompto groaned when the frisbee landed on the ground, and they lost the round. He ran to Noctis and seized the plastic from his hands, extending a hand for him to grab and stand up. “You gotta at least try a little.”

“Dammit.” He pushed the dirt off his trousers and shirt. “I can’t run with these pants, Prompto. Who thought playing this game was a good idea?”

He didn’t get any answers. Instead, Prompto rushed forward and tossed the frisbee ahead, and luckily, it easily passed the other students, and they won the round. Noctis gave him a high-five and an encouraging smile. Prompto cheered back, “Aw yeah! It’s equal!” And ran to the left side so that he wouldn’t miss the next one. However, the students attempted to act clever and threw the frisbee toward Noctis, followed by a yelp, “Catch that!”

“Got it,” Noctis announced as he caught the frisbee, and the students let out a groan of dissatisfaction. It should be strange, but he felt quite proud of himself that he wanted to tell everybody what he had just accomplished. He was weird. 

Prompto laughed excitedly and pointed to the other side. “You’re learning. Now throw it to the opposite team.” Noctis tried. He aimed it perfectly so that the kids would miss it, and that they would win the round again. But somehow, the frisbee flew no more than a few feet, and the others caught it quickly. “Oops.”

“We’re going to win, Mr. Caelum. You’re bad at this game.”

“Hey! That’s rude—” The hard plastic was relaunched, and it arrived right on Noctis’s hand with force. A severe pain developed throughout his body from the unwanted contact, and Noctis clutched at his arms like his life depended on it and threw the frisbee away. “Ow, my hands...”

“Are you okay?! Give me the frisbee,” he heard Prompto say behind him, but he didn’t bother to open his eyes that were squeezed shut in pain. “Two points so far! We’re gonna win this game!”

“I wish I could wear shorts right now,” he said as he cracked an eye open and got ready for the next round.  _ You can do it. Three more left. Show the kids who’s the real boss here. _

Prompto threw the frisbee, and they won another round. The game continued until they finally won, much thanks to him, who didn’t give up in the first place. The pain in his arms got less and less each minute, and it was pretty bearable. It turned into a dull throb by the end of the game. The game wasn’t as bad as Noctis had thought. It was quite fun. He enjoyed playing after a very long time.

“That was fun. I needed that laugh. Are you okay?” Prompto touched the area of his arms that was injured. Noctis hissed but managed to pull himself together and nod.

He smiled. “I’m surprised that the trousers didn’t tear apart.”

“But we won!” Prompto chimed, and god, that sounded adorable. He was so excited about winning a simple game that Noctis found that reaction cute and lovely. He liked adults who were still in touch with their inner child. Prompto was the definition of happiness, joy, and sun, and his playfulness and craziness were the personalities that made him likable. The personalities that created Prompto. Not everyone had all those traits at the same time, and he felt Prompto was unique. 

“Yeah, we won, Prompto,” he repeated. “Thank you.”

“For what?” Prompto asked, a wide smile dancing on his lips.

“For making me forget all the bad things. Seriously, that was great. I just kinda wish I wasn’t wearing these so that I could show those kids who the real player is here.”

Prompto laughed. “You did awesome,” he reassured, gently touching his injured arm beneath the fabric that would most likely become bruised in a couple of hours. The touch itself felt good. Maybe Noctis was saying that because he rarely got touched other than Aulea hugging him. Perhaps it was because Prompto was extremely careful and gentle with him. Either way, he liked it very much. “Is your hand fine, by the way?”

“It’s fine, just a dull pain,” he replied and walked to his tent. “I’m gonna get changed into more comfortable clothes.”

“Don’t wear shorts,” Prompto said behind him. There was a hint of mockery and teasing behind his tone that made Noctis roll his eyes and smirk at it.

“Thanks for the advice.” He crawled inside his tent and searched for proper clothes through his suitcase. Noctis pulled out some simple jeans and a white shirt and changed into them as quickly as possible, being cautious and careful so that nobody would walk on him while he was changing his attire.

He walked out of the tent after he finished. Prompto was sitting on a bench a little farther from him, watching the students play and the spectacular view of the woods on the other side. Noctis stepped forward and quietly sat next to him. “Not gonna lie, I expected this place to be a lot smaller. I saw the images and reviews, but this wasn’t the picture I imagined.”

“It’s amazing. Look at the sky and grasses. I’ve never seen something this clean in my whole life—” he paused and narrowed his eyes. Prompto swirled his head so that they were now facing each other, his eyes sparkling with excitement as if he wanted to try something new or remembered an important detail. “Wait. Will you do something important for me?”

“Depends on what it is. But sure, why not?”

Prompto bobbed his head and lurched to his feet. “Let me grab something,” he disappeared inside the tent, but it didn’t take so long for him to come back with a tiny bag in his hand. He blinked, pointing at the woods. “Alright. Follow me.”

They strolled down the campground. Noctis noticed they were getting a lot farther from the tents, and Prompto was bringing him to a place that nobody was there. For a moment, Noctis hoped that Prompto wasn’t planning to murder him behind those trees and expose his hidden identity. “We’re getting a little farther,” he pointed out.

“Don’t worry about it. We’re not the only teachers,” Prompto whispered as he walked past the plants and bushes. “Just trust me, okay? It’s worth it.” He all but laughed and stood ahead of Noctis, revealing a magnificent and breathtaking scene of the lake behind all the bushes and trees. The woods were hiding behind it and only added to the beauty of the lake. He swore his jaw touched the ground. It felt unbelievable. 

“Wow. Just, wow.” He closed his mouth, finding himself lacking for good words to describe his feelings and the place. 

“I discovered this place when we were on the bus. If you had paid attention, you could’ve caught a glimpse of the water. I feel like I’m in a fairytale or something.” Prompto pulled out a camera and some gears from his bag that looked professional and expensive. “Come on. Pose for me.”

“Pose?” he asked a stupid question even though he already knew the answer. The view was great. Of course, a photographer wouldn’t want to lose such a fantastic opportunity to capture this moment. Noctis just wanted to know why a picture of him of all people. He said the totally wrong words to express his feelings.

Prompto was playing with his camera, clicking some buttons that Noctis assumed he was fixing the setting, lighting, or the timer. “I like photography, remember? I thought you would want to show some pictures to your family.” He got the answer to his question but wasn’t quite satisfied with it. Noctis nodded and posed for him nevertheless, trying not to break Prompto’s heart. He knew what it was like to get no attention when you were doing something you were passionate about and genuinely loved. He’d love to make Prompto’s day by doing such an easy thing.

“I’m not really photogenic. But if you insist,” he said, faking a grin and struggling to put his hands somewhere. He ended up folding them, and he knew how annoying and awkward he must’ve looked in that position. His head was tilted to the side, legs a little spread, and forehead almost shaping a frown. Definitely not beautiful. 

“The lighting is perfect. Just tilt your head a little to the right. Awesome,” Prompto zoomed the camera in slightly, and then he shot Noctis a quick but annoyed look as he kneeled. “Don’t stand there like a stick. Be flirty a little.”

“Prompto.”

“Alright. What did the pirate say when he turned 80?” Prompto said,‌ and Noctis wondered if he was telling a joke to make him laugh. But he knew for sure that in a situation like that, he would never laugh or anything. “Aye Matey.”

The joke was horrible, but Noctis didn’t know why he was snorting and then bursting into laughter to the point that his eyes started watering. His eyes squeezed shut as he clutched to his stomach and tried to stop his laughter. Nothing could work. The joke did its job. Prompto was incredible. “Oh my god, Prompto. That was terrible.”

“Look at that smile on your face though.” He saw Prompto grin widely behind the camera. 

“Take that picture already.”

“Just smile,” Prompto replied instead. “Okay, I want to join too. Let me set the self-timer.” He fixed his camera on the tripod and ran toward Noctis, leaning closer so that they would take a friendlier, etter picture. Their shoulders accidentally touched, and Noctis wondered if he was doing it on purpose or not. They were close though. Close enough that if somebody looked at them, they would think that they were childhood friends who had known each other for a lifetime. 

Noctis, though, spent his time staring at Prompto’s gorgeous face with a dorky and stupid grin and eyes filled with joy. This time, his laugh was real and filled with happiness. He didn’t care about the camera. He just gazed at Prompto and grinned widely.

Prompto giggled and turned his head toward Noctis as well. They were both looking at each other like two idiots and not having an idea of what they were doing. They were facing one another, and while Noctis was just doing this to tease and annoy Prompto, he found the whole scene just eccentric. They have known each other for two weeks, but it felt like forever. It was weird, wasn’t it? But yet, none of them stopped gazing into each other’s eyes and smiling delicately.  _ What’s happening to me? _ He thought, never once breaking eye contact. 

“Look at the camera.”

_ I’m more comfortable this way. Thank you for the offer though. _

“Noctis Caelum,” Prompto mumbled under his breath and lowered his head in embarrassment, laughing. “You’re seriously a dork.”

“So are you.”

When the camera took the image with a click sound, Prompto bolted from him and went to grab his camera. He looked at the picture with a smile and said, “Woah. That one’s a keeper.” And Noctis agreed with that. There was something so special about it that he didn’t know what. He hoped that Prompto would give him a copy of that and keep that himself as well.

“Agreed,” Noctis said. “Let’s go back. We’ll be lost if we get farther from them.”

He didn’t know how many hours passed since they went back and Prompto joined the other students. Noctis was sitting on a chair the whole time, playing with his phone, or watching the others for the lack of anything better to do. The other option was to play with the kids, which he only did because Prompto wanted him to, and he would never repeat the same mistake. He stared at the sunset while tapping on his phone.

His gaze fell on the screen, and before he knew, he was dialing Luna. One of her positive traits was that she would answer the calls so quickly and didn’t worry others. But this time, Noctis wished her phone was on silent mode or Aulea was keeping them all busy so that they wouldn’t hear the ring. It was too late though. He could already hear Luna’s voice and their television on the other side.

_ “Hello?” _ Luna finally spoke.

He cursed quietly. “Hey, it’s me, Noctis,” he said, looking heavenward and admiring the stars leisurely appearing on the dark but beautiful sky. 

_ “Hello, Noctis. Are you enjoying your time there?” _

“Pretty much.” He looked down at the students and let his gaze settle on Prompto. They were playing badminton without a net, and Noctis was surprised that the other man was bad at something after all. “I just called to ask if everything was okay. Is Aulea doing alright?”

_ “Of course. She’s currently taking a nap. We had a long day. I can wake her up if you want,” _ she replied without any hesitation. 

“No, it’s okay. Let her rest,” he said. Then, after a short pause, “Thank you for keeping her.”

There was a shout coming from the distance, but he was sure that whoever was on the other side heard that and was probably thinking what in the world was going on here. Thankfully, it was just a simple round of cheers, and Noctis quickly realized that Prompto lost to the students and owed them some prizes.

_ “Thank you for letting her stay with me. I missed my daughter,” _ she said despite the deafening yells that were continuing.  _ “Don’t worry about us. We’re doing perfectly fine. Have fun and take care.” _

“I don’t think I’ll be able to not have fun when Prompto is here.”

_ “Prompto? Are you talking about the new teacher?”  _

“Yes. He’s keeping us all full of energy. The guy’s a ray of sunshine.” Noctis shot him another look. Their eyes met for a second, and while Prompto was down in the mouth and grieving for his loss, he waved for Noctis and grinned from ear to ear.  _ A complete ray of sunshine.  _

_ “I’m glad that you aren’t feeling lonely,” _ he heard Luna say truthfully. 

“Just, tell Aulea that I called, okay? Tell her that I love her, and I’ll bring the stuff she wanted to Insomnia.” Noctis felt himself smile at the thought of how happy his daughter would become if she heard about that.

_ “Thank you.”  _

Noctis nodded even though Luna couldn’t see that through her phone. “I gotta go. See you,” he said, and when Luna didn’t answer, and he made sure that she didn’t want to add anything, he hung up. He threw the phone on his lap and rubbed his eyes quietly.

“I’m all drowsy. They tired me out.” He opened his eyes and saw Prompto walking toward him with a yawn.  _ Finally, _ Noctis thought.  _ You’re finally getting tired. _

“So you get tired too after all.” Noctis smirked.

“Yes, but not that much yet. I can still do many activities after a five-minute rest.” Stretching his arms, Prompto sat next to him and pressed his cheeks to his palm. “We’re going to make a bonfire. Are you up for roasting sausages and marshmallows?”

“Definitely,” he agreed quickly, much to his and Prompto’s surprise that he didn’t complain about it.

“Look at those two,” Prompto said instead, pointing towards the familiar students across the campground who were sitting on the grass next to each other and chatting. “They’re getting along pretty well.”

He felt his eyebrows waggle at the scene of them being strangely close and friendly. “Gladio and Ignis? That’s weird. They always fight and make fun of each other.” Noctis narrowed his eyes to get a better view of them and make sure they were laughing and not shouting at one another. 

“But that’s adorable.” 

“And they hugged,” Noctis said, impressed. “Maybe people do change, after all.”

Prompto’s eyes lit up, and his lips curled up into a broad smile as he watched them pulling each other into a tight hug. “They kissed and made up. Aw, they can’t be cuter than this.”

“Prompto. They’re not a couple. At least what I know about them.”

“Watch them get together,” Prompto said with such certainty in his voice that he couldn’t help himself but wonder if Gladio and Ignis were in a relationship and Noctis didn’t take the hints. Everything made sense now. He just needed to pay more attention to his surroundings and not assume that students couldn’t get together. “I’m an expert in these things. I’m sure something is going on between those two.”

_ Is that a bet? _

“Alright.” Glancing at Prompto, he agreed confidently and gawked at the other teachers who were setting the fire.

**Author's Note:**

> Find me here on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/Alinaa_SF)!


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